'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' BB-8 Droid To Be Released as Official Toy From Sphero (VIDEO)
Connected play company Sphero is set to release an official and licensed BB-8 droid toy based on the same droid in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
The small BB-8 droid seen rolling in the desert in the new teaser trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has garnered quite a following that robotics toy company, Sphero has decided to build the exact same replica as an official and licensed Star Wars toy.
The company, which manufactures miniature smartphone-controlled spherical robots, has yet to mention more details, a release date or the price point on its current toy project, however fans of the BB-8 droid replica have been invited to sign into the site to receive updates from Sphero.
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"The Force Awakens" used Sphero's technology to power the BB-8 droid seen in the teaser trailer. It gained tremendous attention when information was revealed the droid was an actual moving robot instead of a CGI-enhanced special effect.
Sporting a domed astromech head that floats on the surface of its rolling spherical body, the BB-8 was revealed in an onstage demo at the Star Wars Celebration last week, eliciting positive reactions from the audience.
Sphero has recently revealed a Star Wars sub-website dedicated to the BB-8 droid that as yet contains only a silhouette of the upcoming toy and a heading: "This is the droid you're looking for."
The actual Sphero BB-8 toy may take quite some time before it is available on shelves, however its popularity has caught on rapidly following last week's unveiling of the "Star Wars Episode VII" teaser trailer that one fan, industrial designer, Christian Poulson created his own mini version of the small, spherical droid.
Using a neodymium magnet he installed inside one of Sphero's app-controlled balls, Poulson attached a head using a magnet that allowed the mini BB-8 to roll around.
