Coming soon: A BB-8 droid you can control with the Force IRL

Out of all the new characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the one that has captured hearts all across the nation is, without a doubt, BB-8, Poe Dameron’s trusty best friend/buddy/co-pilot. Everything the droid does is downright adorable and precious, and even though he’s a bunch of nuts, bolts, and sheet metal, you want to cuddle with him at night. Since that, sadly, can’t happen IRL, you can buy yourself the smaller, iPhone controlled version that responds to touch and sound. And soon, that same lil’ droid is going to respond to the THE FORCE.

Last fall, Sphero released this BB-8 droid, and it became the number one thing on many holiday shopping lists. While I don’t have one of these BB-8 droids myself (because Santa didn’t bring me one even though it was literally the only thing on my Christmas list, mom and dad), I have played with friends’ BB-8s. It’s exactly as cool as you think it is, and he whirls around on the floor with ease. You just need to have it connected to your iPhone. But the Force isn’t connected to any iPhone, because it surrounds us and penetrates us and it binds the galaxy together, without the use of Apple Technology.

Just released at the International Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, there’s now going to be a way to control the Sphero BB-8 droid WITHOUT your iPhone. By simply wearing a “Force Band,” your hand movements will control the droid, via the Force, some magic, and an Inertial Measurement Unit, which is found inside both BB-8 and the new Force Band.

“Unlike the iPhone control, which is basically like using a joystick, this bit of technology creates a richer connection between you and the droid,” our friends at Mashable write, because they got to take this new Force Band out for a test spin. “It’s as if the Force were actually flowing between you and BB-8.”

Well, it sounds like this new Force Band is going to make a lot of BB-8 dreams come true. Sphero is releasing a new “battle worn” version of BB-8 later this year (the coloring on the droid will be different, to show that he’s been around the galaxy a few times) and the new Force Band will be included in the purchase. For those who already have a BB-8, you can buy the band separately. No price for the band has been determined yet, but let’s not put a dollar amount on acquiring some Force technology.

(Image via Lucasfilm.)

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