Every once in a while something really great happens on a Thursday.
In anticipation of Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, out this December, robotic toy company Sphero just released a droid from the Star Wars universe. C-3PO and R2-D2 are cool and all, but this is BB-8, the adorable droid spotted in the first Force Awakens trailer. You’ll be able to control it from your Android or iOS device because it pairs with Bluetooth, and it has three modes.
You can drive it, record and watch Star Wars–style holographic messages in the app (sadly not emanating from the droid itself yet), or put the BB-8 in “patrol mode,” its autonomous setting. The droid doesn’t have any built-in “sight” sensors, so it will inevitably crash into things as it zooms around and explores. Patrol mode offers data on the BB-8’s speed, path, and distance-traveled.
Disney’s script is heavily guarded, but Sphero CEO Paul Berberian told Engadget that the company’s BB-8 can evolve as Disney releases more information and eventually the movie itself. “It is a connected toy. It will only get better with time,” he said. “As we get to learn more about the character, we can bring more to it.”
Sphero’s BB-8 costs $150, and you can buy it from these sellers. If you want it or know anyone who does, you should probably place an order now, because people are really going crazy for this thing, and it’s hilarious. Never has the Internet been so earnestly positive. Bask in the revelry:
