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Anki's Vector robot brings us one step closer to 'Star Wars' Droids
In my many years testing all sorts of gadgets, few things have elicited as much spontaneous joy as Anki's Cozmo, its adorable robot for kids. Mostly, that was because it had a personality. Behind all of the sensors, cameras and other hardware, there was a team of animators breathing life into it. Now, Anki is taking everything it learned from Cozmo and putting it in a bigger, more powerful home robot: Vector. And unlike Cozmo, you won't need a phone to play with it.
$3,950 will get you a life-size BB-8 that doesn't move
If you've been wanting a life-sized replica of Star Wars' BB-8, Sideshow Collectibles will soon have you covered. The company just announced its BB-8 Life-Size Figure, a 37-inch tall replica of the adorable droid that appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It's designed to look as similar to the film's version as possible, complete with a paint job that makes it appear as weathered and worn as the one from the big screen.
littleBits adds coding and customization to its Star Wars Droid kit
Last year, littleBits introduced a Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit, which allows kids to build their own Droid. The kit came with everything kids needed to accomplish the task, and an app provided how-to videos and instructions. Now, littleBits is adding more functionality to these Droid kits: Kids can use coding to customize their Droids. This feature is available at no additional cost to those who own Droid Inventor Kits.
Sphero’s R2-Q5 ‘Star Wars’ droid is basically a goth R2-D2
Sphero just announced a new app-controlled robot a few days ago, the Mini, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have anything else in the works. The company has now revealed the latest member of its Star Wars family, R2-Q5, the Empire's version of the beloved R2-D2 character. As is the case with all of Sphero's toys, you can take charge of R2-Q5 via its Droids app for iOS and Android, where you'll be able to drive it, hear it make sounds and use it to play various mini games. You'll need to act fast if you want one for yourself: Sphero says the number of R2-Q5 numbers made is in the "low thousands," and Best Buy has an exclusive on it in the US, while John Lewis has that honor in the UK. Pre-orders are open now for $200/£200, with shipping expected to happen November 5th.
Stormtrooper bot with facial recognition guards against intruders
We know what Star Wars fans will be wishing for this Christmas -- aside from Sphero's R2-D2 and BB-9E toys. Ubtech, the company behind the dancing Lynx robot, is releasing a Stormtrooper bot. Although it can't teach you yoga, you can use voice commands to instruct it to ward off intruders (hopefully not with an actual blaster). Its facial recognition tech also allows it to store up to three faces in its memory bank. That way, it can shout at any uninvited guests that keep barging into your room. And, its accompanying mobile app packs an augmented reality game that lets you fight off the Resistance and launch First Order attacks. The robot is available for pre-order from Ubtech right now, and will ship in November. It will set you back $300.
Meet R2-D2 and BB-9E, Sphero’s new ‘Star Wars’ toys
It's been nearly two years since Sphero introduced its app-controlled BB-8, a replica of the cute rolling droid that first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That toy quickly became one of the most coveted by fans of Disney's franchise, and it wasn't long before the company followed it up with a Battle-Worn Edition, designed to look as rugged as the character does in film. And today at IFA 2017, Sphero announced it is expanding its connected-toy universe with two more Star Wars droids, R2-D2 and BB-9E. Naturally, Sphero worked closely alongside Lucasfilm to bring these to life, just as it did with BB-8. The idea, as you might expect, is to make them as close to the real thing as possible.
Spin Master's BB-8 is still cute and you can get one this year
The cute spherical BB-8 was one of the many highlights of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Spin Master's near life-size replica of him was one of our favorite things about last year's Toy Fair. Unfortunately, 2016 came and went without seeing the adorable robotic companion on the silver screen -- or this particular toy on store shelves. That looks to change later this year with the announced release of the $230 Hero Droid BB-8, just in time for the bot's appearance in the next episode of the Star Wars saga.
