Sphero BB-8 Force Band Inches Towards Smartwatch R/C Control
Well, I wrote about this a while ago and bought my Sphero Ollie and patiently waited for word about Apple Watch control for these little R/C toys, and it looks like that reality is finally here.
Minus the Apple Watch part, naturally.
Instead, it seems that Sphero (or Orbotix, if you want to get technical) is going the standalone route for its wearable-based control solution. At least, as far as the hot-selling BB-8 is concerned. Dubbed the Force Band and unveiled at CES, this heavily-branded device — slated to launch sometime in the fall — allows users to mimic those famous Star Wars gestures to get the little droid rolling. Check it out in action:
This more or less jibes with my earlier concept:
Here’s hoping that Sphero makes an Apple Watch app to handle its line of products whenever the Star Wars hype machine takes a break between sequels. And for other manufacturers, this might be just the window they need to beat the market leader to the punch.