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Sphero’s new Star Wars wearable lets you control BB-8 with The Force

Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ BB-8 is undeniably cute and the little spherical droid has become a hit both on-screen and in the form of Sphero’s excellent remote controlled toy.

Now Sphero plans to allow BB-8 owners to control their droid with the Force thanks to the reveal of a new wristband that allows users to operate the droid with subtle gestures.

Here’s how Sphero’s Force Band works: resting your hand to the side causes BB-8 to enter driving mode. When your palm is down BB-8 looks away from you; with your palm up the painfully cute toy will look towards you. If you spin on the spot BB-8 will spin with you.

The Force Band wearer also has the ability to dictate BB-8’s direction by waving their hand left and right. Finally, the elevation of your arm controls BB-8’s roll speed.

If all this sounds like something you’d like to do with your BB-8, the following news is going to disappoint you. Sphero says that the commercial release of its Force Band isn’t expected until at least Fall 2016.

While a fascinating gimmick, for the Force Band to feel more than a silly novelty it needs to be very responsive. Early impressions of the wearable indicate it’s not quite there yet, though it’s important to point out that its release is still a number of months away.

Related reading: Say hello to this holiday’s hottest toy, Sphero’s Star Wars BB-8 Droid

[via]Gizmodo[/via]

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