Nvidia, Disney, and Google DeepMind Collaborate on AI-Powered Robotics with 'Newton' Physics Engine

Nvidia and Google DeepMind will help power Disney's cute robots

Nvidia is collaborating with Disney Research and Google DeepMind to develop Newton, a physics engine to simulate robotic movements in real-world settings, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at GTC 2025 on Tuesday. Disney will be among the first to use Newton to power its next-generation entertainment robots, like the Star Wars-inspired BDX droids -- one of which waddled onstage next to Huang during his Tuesday keynote. Nvidia plans to release an early, open-source version of Newton later in 2025. For years, Disney has pitched the idea of bringing these Star Wars-inspired robots to its parks around the world. There have been several controlled demos of the droids, most recently at SXSW 2025. Now -- thanks in part to Newton, presumably -- Disney feels the tech is ready, and plans to showcase the robots at several theme park locations starting next year. In a press release, Disney Imagineering SVP Kyle Laughlin said the collaboration with Nvidia and Google DeepMind will play a key role in powering future Disney entertainment robots, as well. Newton is supposed to help robots be more "expressive" and "learn how to handle complex tasks with greater precision," Nvidia said. The physics engine is designed to help developers simulate how robots interact with the natural world, which can sometimes present a challenge for robotics developers. Nvidia claims that Newton is highly customizable. For example, developers can use it to program robotic interactions with food items, cloth, sand, and other deformable objects. Newton will be compatible with Google DeepMind's ecosystem of robotic development tools, including its physics engine, MuJoCo, which simulates multi-joint robot movements, Nvidia added. Newton was one of many announcements Nvidia made this week to kick off GTC 2025. The company also unveiled an AI foundation model for humanoid robots, Groot N1, which the company says lets robots better perceive and reason about their environments. In addition, the company shared a timeline for its next-gen AI chips, including Blackwell Ultra and Rubin, and unveiled a new line of "personal AI computers".

Nvidia, Google, and Disney's AI-powered Star Wars robot is absolutely the droid I've been looking for

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has announced a new collaboration between the company, Google DeepMind, and Disney Research which is bringing AI-powered Star Wars robots to life. Taking to the stage at Nvidia's GTC 2025 keynote on Tuesday, Huang revealed Blue, a Star Wars-inspired research robot capable of incredible movement akin to those seen in your favorite sci-fi movies. The companies have teamed up to create Newton, the physics engine behind the robot's movement, which is expected to be released as open source later this year. Huang said, "Can you believe you're looking at complete real-time simulation? This is how we're going to train robots in the future. Blue has two Nvidia computers inside." Nvidia's CEO went on to interact with Blue on stage before telling the robot to go home. Nvidia's press release reads, "Newton is open source, empowering the entire robotics community. This enables roboticists to use and distribute the framework freely and contribute cutting-edge research to its development." Now, this is all very proof of concept for the consumer, so what does Nvidia, Google, and Disney's collaboration mean for you and me? Well, we might not reap the rewards any time soon but after seeing Blue in action on stage, I'm convinced Disney's dream of having droids in Disney World is now going to become a reality. In fact, just last week a report from Axios at SXSW stated that Disney is planning to showcase the robots in its entertainment parks at some point this year. I've always wanted a robot, please make this a reality You know, robots are pretty scary, I get it. But as someone who constantly struggles to deal with the stress of life in the 21st century, I'd absolutely jump at the opportunity to have a Star Wars droid in my home. While I love my French Bulldog, Kermit, he can't do the dishes, he can't do the washing up, and he sure as heck can't understand what I'm saying (although I think he chooses to ignore me). Now, this concept of a small cute robot doing all my chores in my home is not going to arrive anytime soon, but Newton's physics engine makes it a real possibility in the near future, and I'm sold on that idea. Give me a robot that can make my life easier through the power of AI and I'll take out a loan to get one. My productivity would soar, my mental health would improve, and best of all, I'd hopefully never have to wash the dishes again. You might also like

Nvidia join hands with Disney Research, Google DeepMind to create physics engine, Newton

Newton is designed to simulate robotic movements in real-world environments. An early, open-source version of Newton is planned for release later in 2025. Nvidia is collaborating with Disney Research and Google DeepMind to create Newton, a physics engine designed to simulate robotic movements in real-world environments. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed this partnership at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025 on Tuesday. The GTC is a global AI event hosted by Nvidia and is a gathering of developers, engineers, researchers, inventors, and IT professionals. Disney will be one of the first to use Newton to power its next-generation entertainment robots, including the Star Wars-inspired BDX droids. Disney has long envisioned bringing these robots to its theme parks worldwide, with the droids already showcased in several controlled demos. Nvidia plans to release an early, open-source version of Newton later in 2025. How will Newton help? According to Nvidia, Newton is designed to address the "sim-to-real" gap, where "simulation often fails to match reality." The physics engine helps robotics developers create more accurate models of real-world physics, supporting diverse behaviours, custom interactions, and advanced features like differentiability. Newton aims to make robots more "expressive" and enable them to perform complex tasks with greater precision. It allows developers to simulate how robots interact with the world. Kyle Laughlin, senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development, said in a press release, "The BDX droids are just the beginning. We're committed to bringing more characters to life in ways the world hasn't seen before, and this collaboration with Disney Research, Nvidia, and Google DeepMind is a key part of that vision."

AI Tech Giant Nvidia Partners With Disney and Google on Next-Generation Robotics Software

Adam Sandler Returns to the Golf Course in Trailer for Netflix's 'Happy Gilmore 2' The Walt Disney Co. will bring next-generation robots to its theme parks, powered by Nvidia tech, the tech giant announced at its developer conference Tuesday. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed that his company would be partnering with Disney and Google DeepMind on the initiative, joined on stage by one of Disney's BDX droids, which roam the Galaxy's Edge section of Disneyland and will make trips at Disney's other theme parks this year. Huang also announced a humanoid robot foundational model with a name inspired by Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: "GR00T N1." "The age of generalist robotics is here," said Huang. "With NVIDIA Isaac GR00T N1 and new data-generation and robot-learning frameworks, robotics developers everywhere will open the next frontier in the age of AI." As for the Disney and Google DeepMind partnership, the three companies will focus on an open-source physics engine called Newton, with the goal of enabling robots to handle complex tasks with more precision. The entertainment giant will "use Newton to advance its robotic character platform that powers next-generation entertainment robots," Nvidia says. "The BDX droids are just the beginning. We're committed to bringing more characters to life in ways the world hasn't seen before, and this collaboration with Disney Research, NVIDIA and Google DeepMind is a key part of that vision," said Kyle Laughlin, senior VP at Walt Disney Imagineering research & development. "This collaboration will allow us to create a new generation of robotic characters that are more expressive and engaging than ever before -- and connect with our guests in ways that only Disney can." Disney has long used animatronics and robots at its theme parks, but has leaned into the tech even more in recent years. In addition to the BDX droids, Disney rolled out a "Stuntronic" Spider-Man robot that simulates the superhero flying the air, and will release an animatronic version of Walt Disney himself at Disneyland this year.