Nudging Behaviors for Better Sleep

The Department of the Navy, through STTR topic DON26TZ01-NV016, is seeking software to develop personalized, adaptive behavioral nudges that use commercial off-the-shelf wearable devices to improve sleep outcomes and human performance in dynamic operational settings. The work centers on building theoretical behavior-change frameworks, AI/ML-driven decision systems, and human-centered communication methods that can adapt nudge timing, content, and delivery based on physiological, cognitive, and contextual data. The effort should remain compatible with existing wearable and embedded sensor ecosystems, emphasize generalizable algorithms rather than new hardware, and reflect naval conditions such as irregular sleep schedules, sustained operations, and fatigue-related decision-making. Phase I is for research plans, concepts, and feasibility evidence without formal human subject research, while Phase II calls for prototype development and evaluation with sailors, including usability and effectiveness testing. The topic is open, with applications due by June 3, 2026, under solicitation number 26.TZ.