DON26BZ05-NV071 TITLE: Dynamically Generated, Articulated 3-Dimensional Training Content
OUSW (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI)
COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY AREA(S): Advanced Computing and Software
PROJECTED CMMC LEVEL REQUIREMENT: Level 2 (Self)
OBJECTIVE: Create a secure, user-friendly toolkit that enables rapid conversion of diverse Navy data sources (structured and unstructured) into photorealistic 3-dimensional (3-D) assets suitable for deployment in Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) training platforms and Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) environments. The solution should provide a low-code/no-code software platform for the automated generation of AR/MR training content that requires minimal source media while offering human-on-the-loop controls.
DESCRIPTION: The Navy increasingly relies on immersive training solutions utilizing Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) to provide instructors with the flexibility to create realistic training scenarios, including fault injections and novel situations. However, the traditional development of interactive 3-D models remains a significant bottleneck, requiring months of intensive design, modeling, and coded scripting. This slow process hinders curriculum updates, constrains training throughput, and increases lifecycle costs. Navy initiatives demand technologies that accelerate content creation and refresh, particularly given emerging opportunities for advanced LVC training, adaptive tutoring, and rapid prototyping of virtual content.
Recent technological breakthroughs, such as neural radiance fields, 3-D Gaussian Splatting, and 3-D model diffusion, offer near-instant scene creation and real-time asset generation. Furthermore, advances in computing power and technology such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) enables the ingestion of large technical datasets to auto-draft procedures and annotations for instructional content. Despite these advances, existing solutions often lack the dynamic articulation, physics, and logic necessary for hands-on procedural practice and team interaction. Critically, fleet use cases require no-code tools that empower Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to verify content outputs, embed adaptive cues, and seamlessly export to existing simulators and LVC systems. Dynamic articulation, multi-user networking, SME oversight, and standards-compliant export represent key transition hurdles.
Secure, user-friendly toolkit solutions are desired that enables the rapid conversion of diverse Navy data sources (structured and unstructured) into photorealistic 3-D assets suitable for deployment in AR and MR training platforms and LVC environments. The solution should provide a low-code/no-code software platform for the automated generation of AR/MR training content that requires minimal source media (e.g., smartphone photos, video, Computer-aided design model, or schematics) while offering human-on-the-loop controls for validation and refinement of models. These photorealistic 3-D assets should have articulating sub-components, respond to user actions, and drive the learning of procedural maintenance workflows. The toolchain must support easy export to a variety of Navy immersive reality training platforms and/or LVC environments or systems. The goal is to produce mission-specific, realistic content in days instead of weeks or months, leveraging actual fleet data and user-friendly tools.
This topic seeks an innovative capability that supports automated or semi-automated generation of AR/MR content from real-world data sources—such as maintenance records, after-action reports, sensor logs, or mission debriefs—and enables curriculum developers or instructors to generate varied training scenarios quickly and intuitively. The system should support parameterized scenario generation and include tools for editing or customizing scenarios without requiring software development skills.
Key technical elements may include:
• AI-assisted generation of 3-D assets, animations, or procedural scripts;
• Natural language processing (NLP) to parse textual data into scenario logic;
• Interfaces that allow low-code or no-code authoring of AR/MR content;
• Export capability to common AR/MR engines (Unity, Unreal) and Navy-deployed HMDs or mobile devices; and
• Security and compatibility with Navy computing environments.
The expected outcome is a toolchain that empowers training programs to rapidly create and deploy operationally relevant AR/MR training content, significantly reducing development time and cost while enhancing the effectiveness of Navy training programs.
PHASE I: Design and demonstrate the feasibility of a software solution for rapidly generating AR/MR training content for the Navy. This involves creating an end-to-end pipeline architecture blending emerging technologies like generative 3-D modeling and technical data parsing, enabling real-time part motion and interactive scenarios from minimal inputs. Key activities include developing a functional prototype system capable of ingesting operational or training datasets and outputting usable AR/MR scenarios, validating key technical components such as data parsing and low/no-code content editing, and creating a detailed plan for integration with Navy AR/MR platforms, while tracking return on investment metrics including time to generate, test, and integrate.
The Phase I effort will include prototype plans to be developed under Phase II.
PHASE II: Develop and validate a robust, multi-asset prototype content generation toolkit based on the Phase I architecture. This includes enhancing the system to support diverse asset classes (e.g., pumps, power supplies) with capabilities like automated kinematics and collision physics, demonstrating a full technical workflow feeding training content to adaptive tutoring models and multi-user solutions, and ensuring compatibility with various export models and environments. Usability assessments with Navy personnel will validate effectiveness and time savings, deployment on Navy-relevant AR/MR systems will be demonstrated, and efforts will strive for an IL-4/IL-5-accredited or higher solution, including testing and validating established ROI metrics, fidelity, and realism.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support the transition of the rapid content generation toolkit into a program of record for NAVAIR and other Department of War (DoW) components. Transition strategy will consider direct integration with existing Naval training systems that can minimize sustainment challenges through technology use and/or alignment with future training initiatives looking toward modernized technologies. Phase III activities will include integration and deployment of the technology for specific platforms and enabling government and fleet SMEs to convert technical data into interactive AR/MR training modules for critical systems and maintenance procedures.
Beyond NAVAIR, the effort will deliver technology for integration into LVC environments to enhance mission rehearsal realism and establish a long-term sustainment framework for software updates and user support. This focus will support expansion of Phase III effort to dual-use applications that allow for the adoption of the core technology for other government agencies and private sector markets with similar training needs. The resulting output is expected to establish a toolkit that can serve as a standard for SME-driven immersive content creation across the Navy, significantly reducing costs and timelines while increasing warfighter readiness.
The core technology of this toolkit has significant commercial potential in any industry reliant on complex, hands-on procedural training, such as commercial aerospace, advanced manufacturing, energy, and medical technology. These sectors face the same content creation bottlenecks as the military, needing to train technicians on high-value assets and frequently updated procedures. The requirement for a no-code, AI-powered platform directly addresses this market gap by enabling in-house experts, not programmers, to quickly convert engineering diagrams, service manuals, and operational data into interactive 3-D training experiences for AR and VR.
An expected commercialization strategy will likely be a tiered Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, making the platform accessible to both small businesses and large enterprises. The key competitive advantage is the AI-assisted workflow, which automates the generation of articulated, physics-enabled models from diverse data sources. This differentiates the solution from game engines requiring specialized developers and other no-code platforms that often produce only static visualizations. By solving the critical need for rapid and scalable immersive content, our toolkit is well-positioned for strong commercial success and sustainable revenue growth.
REFERENCES:
KEYWORDS: Immersive training; 3-D content generation; Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR); Low-code/no-code; Live Virtual Constructive (LVC); Virtual environments
TPOC 1 : Beth Atkinson
(407) 380-4773
beth.f.atkinson.civ@us.navy.milTPOC 2 : Brittany Abrams
(301) 000-0000
brittany.r.abrams.civ@us.navy.milTPOC3 : Emily Gisick
(407) 380-4751
emily.c.gisick.civ@us.navy.mil
** TOPIC NOTICE ** |
The Navy Topic above is an "unofficial" copy from the Navy Topics in the DoW FY-26 Release 5 SBIR BAA. Please see the official DoW Topic website at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/solicitation-documents/active-solicitations for any updates. The DoW issued its Navy FY-26 Release 5 SBIR Topics pre-release on August 5, 2026 which opens to receive proposals on August 26, 2026, and closes September 23, 2026 (12:00pm ET). Direct Contact with Topic Authors: During the pre-release period (August 5, through August 25, 2026) proposing firms have an opportunity to directly contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask technical questions about the specific BAA topic. The TPOC contact information is listed in each topic description. Once DoW begins accepting proposals on August 26, 2026 no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed unless the Topic Author is responding to a question submitted during the Pre-release period. DoD On-line Q&A System: After the pre-release period, until September 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET, proposers may submit written questions through the DoW On-line Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login/ by logging in and following instructions. In the Topic Q&A system, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous but all questions and answers are posted for general viewing.
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