DARPA_Lift_2026 / Field_Definitions.md
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designs.csv — Field Definitions

  • design_id – Unique identifier for each synthetic aircraft design.

  • animals – Comma-separated list of bio-inspired animals influencing this design.

  • traits – Comma-separated list of functional traits derived from the animals (e.g., burst power, glide efficiency).

  • animal_count – Number of distinct animals contributing traits to this design.

  • trait_count – Number of distinct traits applied to this design.

  • empty_mass_kg – Airframe + systems mass without payload (kilograms).

  • payload_mass_kg – Assigned payload mass for the DARPA mission scenario (kilograms).

  • rotor_count – Total number of rotors / lift fans in the design.

  • max_twr – Maximum thrust-to-weight ratio achievable by the propulsion system.

  • burst_power_factor – Multiplier indicating short-duration burst power relative to nominal power (1.0 = none).

  • burst_duration_s – Approximate duration for which burst power can be sustained (seconds).

  • unsteady_lift_gain – Dimensionless factor representing additional lift from unsteady / vortex aerodynamics (bee-like hover).

  • energy_system_type – Categorical label for the primary energy system (e.g., li_ion, li_s, solid_state, fuel_cell_li_ion_hybrid).

  • energy_system_description – Text description of the energy system and maturity.

  • energy_density_class – Qualitative class for energy density (e.g., medium_high, very_high, extreme).

  • power_class – Qualitative class for available power output (e.g., high, medium).

  • tech_maturity_class – Qualitative indicator of technology readiness (e.g., high, medium_low).

  • energy_system_extra_failure_risk – Additional failure-risk contribution from the chosen energy system (dimensionless probability term).

  • battery_mass_kg – Mass of the main battery pack (kilograms).

  • battery_spec_energy_Wh_per_kg – Sampled specific energy of the battery chemistry (watt-hours per kilogram).

  • battery_energy_Wh – Total usable battery energy (watt-hours).

  • supercap_mass_kg – Mass of high-power supercapacitors (kilograms).

  • supercap_energy_Wh – Usable energy stored in supercapacitors (watt-hours).

  • structural_material – Primary structural material choice (e.g., carbon_composite, aluminum_lithium, titanium_alloy).

  • structural_material_class – Qualitative category for weight vs stiffness (e.g., light_stiff, heavy_robust).

  • structural_extra_failure_risk – Added structural failure-risk term from the material choice.

  • rotor_blade_material – Material used for rotor blades (e.g., carbon composite, glass composite, aluminum).

  • landing_gear_material – Material used for landing gear (e.g., titanium, steel, composite).

  • frame_stiffness_longitudinal – Relative stiffness index of the longitudinal frame (higher = stiffer, lower = more compliant).

  • tendon_cable_fraction – Fraction of structural load carried by tendon / cable analogs (0–1).

  • gust_rejection_gain – Control-system gain describing how aggressively the aircraft rejects wind gust disturbances.

  • landing_gear_mass_kg – Mass allocated to landing gear (kilograms).

  • max_touchdown_velocity_mps – Maximum tolerated vertical touchdown speed before structural risk increases (meters per second).

  • cruise_speed_mps – Nominal cruise speed used in mission planning (meters per second).

  • climb_rate_mps – Nominal vertical climb rate to reach cruise altitude (meters per second).

  • mode_count – Number of distinct control / flight “modes” or gaits available (e.g., hover, heavy-load cruise, light-load return).

  • mtow_kg – Maximum takeoff weight: empty mass + payload mass (kilograms).

  • payload_to_aircraft_ratio – Ratio of payload mass to empty aircraft mass.

  • rule_empty_mass_ok – Boolean flag indicating whether empty mass satisfies the DARPA maximum empty-mass constraint.

  • rule_payload_ok – Boolean flag indicating whether payload meets or exceeds the DARPA minimum payload constraint.

  • design_qualifyingTrue if both mass and payload rules are satisfied; otherwise False.

  • design_qualifying_score – Qualifying score used in the dataset, equal to payload_to_aircraft_ratio for qualifying designs and 0.0 otherwise.

  • design_summary – Human-readable paragraph summarizing the design, its inspirations, and performance profile.

  • propulsion_architecture – High-level propulsion architecture label (e.g., pure_rotor_electric, rotor_plus_pusher, rotor_plus_small_jet, ducted_fans_hybrid).

  • primary_propulsor_type – Primary thrust mechanism type (e.g., multirotor, ducted_fan_array).

  • secondary_propulsor_type – Secondary propulsion type if present (e.g., pusher_propeller, small_jet, or none).

  • secondary_propulsor_fraction – Fraction of thrust / power budget attributed to the secondary propulsor (0–1).

  • propulsion_hover_power_factor – Multiplier applied to hover power due to propulsion architecture.

  • propulsion_cruise_power_factor – Multiplier applied to cruise power due to propulsion architecture.

  • propulsion_arch_extra_failure_risk – Added failure-risk term specific to the propulsion architecture choice.

  • image_prompt – Text prompt describing the design for use with image generation models (optional; not required for analysis).

missions.csv — Field Definitions

One row per simulated mission scenario.

  • design_id – ID linking to the aircraft configuration used in this mission.

  • mission_id – Unique identifier for this mission instance.

  • wind_speed_kts – Ambient wind speed sampled for the mission (knots).

  • turbulence_index – Dimensionless turbulence severity factor (0.0–1.0), with higher values representing more aggressive gusts.

  • success – Boolean indicator: True if the aircraft completed the mission within constraints; otherwise False.

  • failure_phase – Name of the flight phase where the mission failed (e.g., climb, cruise, landing), or none for successful missions.

  • failure_reason – Text description of the reason for mission termination
    (e.g., "energy_depleted", "time_exceeded", "random_failure", "payload_loss").

  • rule_violation – DARPA rule that was violated if termination occurred (empty if none).

  • total_time_s – Actual mission duration from takeoff to termination (seconds).

  • time_takeoff_climb_s – Time spent climbing to cruise altitude (seconds).

  • time_loaded_cruise_s – Time in cruise while carrying payload (seconds).

  • time_empty_cruise_s – Return/cruise time after payload release (seconds), when applicable.

  • time_descent_landing_s – Time spent in controlled descent and landing approach (seconds).

  • energy_used_Wh – Total energy consumed over the mission (watt-hours).

  • battery_energy_remaining_Wh – Remaining battery energy at mission termination (watt-hours).

  • payload_to_aircraft_ratio – Design-level payload efficiency (repeated from design file for convenience).

  • is_qualifying_runTrue if all mission rules were satisfied.

  • qualifying_score – Mission-level score for qualifying runs; 0.0 if not qualifying (calculated as payload-to-aircraft efficiency adjusted for mission success).

missions_timeseries.csv — Field Definitions

Time-indexed telemetry data sampled throughout each mission.

One row represents one timestep for a given design and mission.

  • design_id – Aircraft configuration identifier.

  • mission_id – Mission instance identifier (links to missions.csv).

  • t_s – Elapsed simulation time since takeoff (seconds).

  • phase – Current flight phase label at this timestep:

    • takeoff_climb
    • loaded_cruise
    • empty_cruise
    • descent_landing
    • terminated (if triggered by rule or random failure)
  • altitude_m – Instantaneous altitude above ground (meters).

  • distance_m – Total horizontal distance traveled since takeoff (meters).

  • speed_mps – Airspeed (meters per second).

  • mass_kg – Current total mass of the aircraft (kg), including payload when attached.

  • power_W – Instantaneous electrical/mechanical power draw (watts).

  • energy_used_Wh_cum – Cumulative energy consumed up to this timestep (watt-hours).

  • battery_remaining_Wh – Estimated remaining usable battery energy (watt-hours).

  • payload_attached – Indicates whether payload is still attached (1 = yes, 0 = deployed/removed).

  • wind_speed_kts – Sampled wind speed affecting that timestep (knots).

  • turbulence_index – Stochastic disturbance intensity (0.0–1.0), influencing control and gust corrections.