Nvidia & Disney Create Newton Physics Engine

Nvidia Partners with Disney Research and Google DeepMind to Develop Revolutionary Physics Engine, Newton

Energy

a month agoCBZ Publications

Introduction to Newton: A Breakthrough in Robotics

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Nvidia has joined forces with Disney Research and Google DeepMind to create Newton, an open-source physics engine designed to revolutionize the field of robotics. Announced at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025, this innovative engine is set to bridge the gap between simulation and real-world robotics, enabling robots to perform complex tasks with unprecedented precision.

The Vision Behind Newton

Newton is built on Nvidia's Warp framework, a CUDA-based acceleration library that leverages GPU power for high-performance physics simulations. This collaboration aims to enhance robot learning by providing a customizable and scalable simulation environment, particularly optimized for AI-driven humanoid robots and robotic characters. The engine is compatible with popular learning frameworks such as MuJoCo Playground and Nvidia Isaac Lab, making it an essential tool for developers working on generalist humanoid robots.

Key Features of Newton

Open-Source: Newton is open-source, allowing the entire robotics community to contribute and extend its functionality.
NVIDIA Accelerated: Built on Nvidia Warp, it provides GPU-accelerated simulations for faster development.
MuJoCo-Warp Integration: This collaboration introduces MuJoCo-Warp, which accelerates robotics machine learning workloads by over 70x for humanoid simulations and 100x for in-hand manipulation tasks.
Differentiable Physics: Enables robots to learn from physics-based simulations and adjust their movements for real-world conditions.
Extensibility: Allows developers to add custom solvers and simulate interactions with deformable objects.

Disney's Role in Newton

Disney Research will be one of the first to utilize Newton for its next-generation entertainment robots, including the Star Wars-inspired BDX droids. These robots are designed to be more expressive and interactive, enhancing the entertainment experience at Disney theme parks worldwide.

Kyle Laughlin, Senior Vice President at Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, emphasized, "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."

Impact on Robotics and Beyond

Newton's capabilities extend beyond entertainment to industrial robotics, AI-driven humanoid assistants, and next-generation manufacturing systems. By addressing the sim-to-real gap, Newton helps robots learn from simulations and adapt to real-world conditions more effectively.

Bridging the Sim-to-Real Gap

One of the biggest challenges in robotics development is the difference between how robots behave in simulations versus real-world environments. Newton tackles this issue with differentiable physics, allowing robots to learn from simulations and adjust their movements for real-world conditions. This capability is crucial for developing robots that can operate safely and efficiently in human environments.

Future Development and Availability

Newton is expected to be available later in 2025, with Nvidia, Google DeepMind, and Disney Research continuing to refine its capabilities. The open-source nature of Newton invites researchers and developers to contribute and extend its functionality, making it a pivotal tool for advancing robotics.

Additional Announcements at GTC 2025

At GTC 2025, Nvidia also unveiled other significant developments:

Nvidia Isaac GR00T N1: The world's first open, fully customizable foundation model for generalized humanoid reasoning and skills.
AI Personal Supercomputers: Powered by the Grace Blackwell chip platform, these supercomputers are designed to accelerate AI workloads.
Blackwell Ultra and Rubin Chips: Nvidia shared a timeline for its next-generation AI chips, highlighting future performance enhancements.

Conclusion

The collaboration between Nvidia, Disney Research, and Google DeepMind on Newton marks a significant leap forward in robotics technology. By providing a high-performance, customizable simulation environment, Newton is poised to revolutionize how robots learn and interact with their surroundings. As robotics moves toward generalist AI-powered systems, tools like Newton will be critical in helping robots operate safely, efficiently, and intelligently in human environments.

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