Disney’s Next-Gen Robots Get a Boost from Nvidia & Google DeepMind

Nvidia is teaming up with Disney Research and Google DeepMind to develop Newton, a cutting-edge physics engine designed to enhance robotic movement in real-world environments. Announced at GTC 2025 by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Newton will help robots become more expressive and precise in handling complex tasks.

Disney plans to use Newton for its next-generation entertainment robots, including the Star Wars-inspired BDX droids, which are set to debut in theme parks starting next year. The engine integrates with Google DeepMind’s MuJoCo system and allows developers to simulate robot interactions with various materials, from food to sand.

Newton was one of several major announcements at GTC 2025, alongside Nvidia’s AI foundation model for humanoid robots, Groot N1, and the unveiling of next-gen AI chips, Blackwell Ultra and Rubin. An open-source version of Newton is expected to launch later in 2025.