You Can Now Control BB-8 With A Wearable Wristband

CES has been a gold mine of new products and prototypes of new technologies that we will more than likely see later this year. One of those prototypes is a wearable wristband that is an extension of the beloved BB-8 robot released by Sphero late last year. The wearable wristband allows the user to control BB-8 with force gestures. You can practically puppeteer the droid to do what you want with the addition of a wristband. The device is still a prototype so we won’t be seeing this little thing until later in 2016. Fortunately though, Sphero was kind enough to show off what the Force Band looks like and all of the gestures it can do to make BB-8 go.

As of right now in the current build, to enter driving mode with BB-8 you have to rest your hand to your side. Keeping your palm down will turn BB-8 away from you, doing the opposite will make the little droid look at you. Now, keep it mind, everything that you do with the watch on your arm will make BB-8 move. Even a simple movement like spinning around in place will cause BB-8 to do the same. Moving your hands in any direction will dictate where BB-8 will move to. If you chose to wave at BB-8 you enter into gesture mode which will allow you to make BB-8 do other stuff like nodding yes. Of course it will take practice to get all of the gestures down but this is a prototype, so if you are doing it right BB-8’s response will not nearly be perfect.

Now that we have stressed enough about this wearable band being a prototype, the release will be later this year, possibly in the Fall. With such a long way to go, there will be improvements made and maybe even more features added to the band for you to immerse yourself in the Star Wars experience. Adding this extension to Spheros BB-8 gives us a little bit of insight as to what we could see in the future from the company. Next month at the Toy Fair, Sphero will give us more details on the wearable wristband, as well as release another BB-8 that will more than likely go on sale alongside the wristband later this year.