Meet a Toy Star Wars Robot Controlled by‘The Force’

By Reuters
January 15,2016
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Toy makers Sphero hope to cash in on the Star Wars buzz with a wearable device that enables users to use 'The Force' to control a robot.

Millions, possibly billions of people, young and old, have dreamt of being a Jedi Knight, using the force to manipulate the world around them with supernatural powers.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, toy company Sphero unveiled a wearable device that gives users the ability to control a miniature version the latest lovable robot from the Star Wars Universe with Jedi powers.

Clair Tindall, Sphero, saying:

"It's a gesture based wearable. So you control BB-8 with authentic Jedi-like movements like force pull and push."

The device is called a force band and it's packed with sensors that measure the orientation of a user's hand. That data is then transmitted the robot which maneuvers accordingly. But becoming a Jedi is still a few months off.

Clair Tindall, Sphero, saying:

"We are still in the prototype phase now. So we are iterating on the technology and building more features into the band. So I look forward to see what the full version will become this fall."

Given the record breaking success of the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, it's a good bet that the force will be very strong with this tech toy.