BDX droid

BDX droids^[2] were a model of small droids seen exploring the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"We basically take animation as an input and make sure that our robots know how to best follow these inputs. They learn to not only walk, but to follow the artistic provided motion that differentiates us from the rest of the world."

―Moritz Bächer, Associate Lab Director of Disney’s robotics team in Zurich^[3]

BDX droids were developed as real-world robots by The Walt Disney Company's Research and Imagineering departments using NVIDIA artificial intelligence technology (AI) as part of a collaboration with NVIDIA and the Google DeepMind AI laboratory. The initial robots were developed under a year and manually operated with two joysticks—but they were more complex than Disney's pre-existing repertoire of animatronics as Imagineers used reinforcement learning, based on artists' animations, for the robots to move in imitated motions while navigating various terrain via real-time simulation. Each had two NVIDIA Jetson computers, plus four actuators in the head and neck and five more actuators for each leg. 3D-printed components, sensors, cameras, and LEDs completed each unit.^[3] They were unveiled by Disney Imagineers in October 2023 when three "droids-in-training" roamed the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge themed land in Disneyland in California. The "play test" showed that the robots could maneuver on uneven ground, dance without losing their balance, and "interact" with guests with pre-set responses.^[4]

During development, the three BDX units were jokingly named after Disney triplets Huey, Dewey, and Louie.^[5] After the October play test, Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin said that he was not yet able to reveal the names^[6] of the "sweet babies"^[7] because they were still in development,^[8] though he did reveal the Huey, Dewey, and Louie joke shared behind the scenes.^[5] Martin credited the talents of the Imagineers with their creation.^[9] On April 5, 2024, it was confirmed the robots would appear as a limited time feature of Galaxy's Edge during the Season of the Force event, and their in-universe name was officially revealed to be "BDX droids."^[2] They were also deployed the Disney Wish cruise ship and learned to balance on deck.^[10]

BDX units were later featured at the Disney Experience SXSW conference on March 8, 2025, where Imagineers explained their development of the robots via reinforcement learning and simulation. Jon Favreau then revealed that the BDX units would appear in the 2026 film The Mandalorian and Grogu. They would also visit Walt Disney World in Florida, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Paris in 2025,^[10] with milled parts replacing 3D-printed parts to accomodate Florida's heat.^[3] During NVIDIA's AI conference ten days later, on March 18, CEO Jensen Huang announced that his company was collaborating with Google DeepMind and Disney Research to further develop Newton, an advanced physics engine that would allow AI models to be trained precisely and at high speeds. A BDX unit named "Blue" operating with Newton featured with Huang on stage.^[11]