NVIDIA, Google DeepMind, and Disney Reveal Newton Physics Engine for Robotics
Newton, unveiled at GTC 2025, aims to bridge the gap between robotic simulations and real-world applications, with Disney set to deploy it in Star Wars-inspired droids by 2026.
- Newton is an open-source physics engine developed by NVIDIA, Google DeepMind, and Disney Research to enhance robotic simulations and real-world adaptability.
- Built on NVIDIA’s Warp framework and compatible with Google DeepMind’s MuJoCo, Newton significantly accelerates robotics workloads, including humanoid simulations and complex tasks.
- Disney Research will use Newton to create next-generation robotic characters, such as the Star Wars-inspired BDX droids, showcased at GTC 2025.
- The engine incorporates differentiable physics, addressing the longstanding sim-to-real gap by enabling robots to learn from simulations and adapt to real-world conditions.
- Newton will be released as open-source later in 2025, with Disney planning to feature the BDX droids in theme parks starting in 2026.