Robotics company Sphero and Disney have showcased the BB-9E toy, a seemingly rival bot to the beloved BB-8 of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.' Sporting a black and gray design, the bot moves exactly like BB-8 and has a nearly identical shape. BB-9E instead has a dome-like head that appears to move independently from its body.
BB-9E was unveiled on Thursday, three an a half months before its upcoming appearance in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in December of this year. In the spirit of Global Force Friday II, the robot was revealed starting in Australia.
Other products affiliated with the upcoming film were on sale as well.
Sphero and Disney call this new bot a "rolling menace", part of the Astromech unit of the First Order. Apparently BB-9E serves the Wall-E-esque job of keeping First Order starships and machinery operational.
Completely Interactive
BB-9E isn't just for decoration though. The droid of the Dark Side is controlled by an app where you can choose the movement and sounds it makes. BB-9E features 40 sounds and nine commands-including "patrol", "look around", "run away", and more. With the app you can even tell BB-9E to follow any pattern you draw on-screen. Through your mobile device, you can explore ships from the 'Star Wars' universe through a augmented reality experience.
This BB-8 rival will go on sale Friday at midnight for 149 USD.
We Always Need More Star Wars Merch
According to Disney executive, Jimmy Pitaro, "Since Star Wars became a cultural phenomenon 40 years ago, consumer products have been a critical part of the fan experience..."
The core of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' will be intended to be based in technology-powered storytelling, meant to immerse fans in the 'Star Wars' universe-something only recently possible.
BB-9E won't be the only new interactive galactic toy to be hitting shelves on Friday. A miniature robotic version of R2-D2 will also be available, using four motors in order to bring the original robot companion of the series to life. It matches the scale of BB-9E and is happy to roam around your desk. While the OG bot runs higher on the price scale than BB-9E, (179 USD), I think we can all agree that for a robot with as much street cred as R2-D2, the price is arguably fair.
There is plenty of new merch to be introduced on Friday for both the casual and passionate 'Star Wars' fan. From the beloved robots to t-shirts sporting artwork from the film, there's sure to be something to get your ready for 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
