Star Wars’ BB-8 Droid by Sphero
If you’re like me, you’ve watched each of the trailers and teaser trailers for The Force Awakens 78 times already, which means you already know who BB-8 is. But just to help refresh your memory, BB-8 is the roly-poly droid that looks a bit like a soccer ball with a hat.
BB-8 by Sphero is the newest addition to the cast of Star Wars characters. For $150 this is the droid you're looking for.
How he works
The big to-do about BB-8, besides his ridiculously cute shape, is how his head stays stationary above his rolling body. In fact, when The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams rolled BB-8 on stage at the Star Wars Celebration in July, the Internet erupted with questions about how the droid’s head stayed put.
It turns out that BB-8’s head is connected to his body through a mix of midichlorians and magnets (but mostly just magnets). Yes, now you can thank magnets for both confounding The Insane Clown Posse and giving the world BB-8.
May the app be with you Control BB-8
Beyond its squee-inducing looks, BB-8 is a legitimately high-tech toy. Based on the same technology as the Sphero robotic ball, which has an electric motor inside, BB-8 connects to your iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth.
Once connected, you use the mobile BB-8 app to drive the droid like a remote control car. Even for someone as in tune with the Force as I am, though, BB-8’s controls aren’t exactly intuitive.
To move BB-8, you use an on-screen joystick that lets you roll the droid in whichever direction you want. In general, driving BB-8 is pretty easy, but it takes some getting used to. We’re not talking spending time in Dagobah with Yoda, but it’ll take a few minutes.
The app, which comes complete with Star Wars theme music and BB-8 sound effects, also includes pre-recorded actions that let BB-8 shake his head yes or no, do a figure eight, move in a square, and perform a faux scan of the room.
Watch Demo Below :
Help me BB-8, you’re my only hope
Like his droid cousin R2-D2, BB-8 can project holographic messages. But since BB-8 is just a toy (shhh, don’t tell him), he can’t actually project a hologram. Instead, you can use your smartphone to play a holographic message using augmented reality.
When you point your phone’s camera at BB-8, it looks like the message is coming from BB-8 on your handset’s screen. It isn’t, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with imagining it does.
Outside of that, BB-8 also has a patrol mode that lets him wander around doing his own thing without any need to interact with him. Amazingly, despite the fact that BB-8 is clearly a toy you control with your phone, he genuinely feels alive when he’s on patrol.
It’s alive!
More than a few people to whom I showed the droid were excited to see him, and asked if he was actually real. Even my cameraman, who saw me set up BB-8 and connect him to my iPhone, treated him like a living being.
The thing that really sells you on BB-8 being alive, though, is his voice controls. Though not available in the beta software, BB-8’s voice controls let you tell him to move; if you yell “It’s a trap!” he will freak out and run away. (Bonus points if you say it in Admiral Ackbar’s voice.)
The BB-8 is waterproof and, according to Sphero, is incredibly durable. In fact, the droid can apparently survive a blow from a shotgun shell. Kids, don’t try this at home.
source:yahoo
WHERE TO BUY?
You can purchase online like LAZADA for ₱ 11,249.00
What's in the box:
BB-8 BodyBB-8 HeadInduction Charging CradleMicro USB CableQuick Start Guide to get you rollingLegal Guide
BB-8 by Sphero is the newest addition to the cast of Star Wars characters. For $150 this is the droid you're looking for.
How he works
The big to-do about BB-8, besides his ridiculously cute shape, is how his head stays stationary above his rolling body. In fact, when The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams rolled BB-8 on stage at the Star Wars Celebration in July, the Internet erupted with questions about how the droid’s head stayed put.
It turns out that BB-8’s head is connected to his body through a mix of midichlorians and magnets (but mostly just magnets). Yes, now you can thank magnets for both confounding The Insane Clown Posse and giving the world BB-8.
May the app be with you Control BB-8
Beyond its squee-inducing looks, BB-8 is a legitimately high-tech toy. Based on the same technology as the Sphero robotic ball, which has an electric motor inside, BB-8 connects to your iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth.
Once connected, you use the mobile BB-8 app to drive the droid like a remote control car. Even for someone as in tune with the Force as I am, though, BB-8’s controls aren’t exactly intuitive.
To move BB-8, you use an on-screen joystick that lets you roll the droid in whichever direction you want. In general, driving BB-8 is pretty easy, but it takes some getting used to. We’re not talking spending time in Dagobah with Yoda, but it’ll take a few minutes.The app, which comes complete with Star Wars theme music and BB-8 sound effects, also includes pre-recorded actions that let BB-8 shake his head yes or no, do a figure eight, move in a square, and perform a faux scan of the room.
Watch Demo Below :
Help me BB-8, you’re my only hope
Like his droid cousin R2-D2, BB-8 can project holographic messages. But since BB-8 is just a toy (shhh, don’t tell him), he can’t actually project a hologram. Instead, you can use your smartphone to play a holographic message using augmented reality.
When you point your phone’s camera at BB-8, it looks like the message is coming from BB-8 on your handset’s screen. It isn’t, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with imagining it does.
Outside of that, BB-8 also has a patrol mode that lets him wander around doing his own thing without any need to interact with him. Amazingly, despite the fact that BB-8 is clearly a toy you control with your phone, he genuinely feels alive when he’s on patrol.
It’s alive!
More than a few people to whom I showed the droid were excited to see him, and asked if he was actually real. Even my cameraman, who saw me set up BB-8 and connect him to my iPhone, treated him like a living being.
The thing that really sells you on BB-8 being alive, though, is his voice controls. Though not available in the beta software, BB-8’s voice controls let you tell him to move; if you yell “It’s a trap!” he will freak out and run away. (Bonus points if you say it in Admiral Ackbar’s voice.)
The BB-8 is waterproof and, according to Sphero, is incredibly durable. In fact, the droid can apparently survive a blow from a shotgun shell. Kids, don’t try this at home.
source:yahoo
WHERE TO BUY?
You can purchase online like LAZADA for ₱ 11,249.00
What's in the box:
BB-8 BodyBB-8 HeadInduction Charging CradleMicro USB CableQuick Start Guide to get you rollingLegal Guide
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