• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
TechInternet of Things

You Can Now ‘Use the Force’ to Control the Cutest Droid from ‘Star Wars’

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 1, 2016, 7:00 AM ET

Adam Wilson spins like a cumbersome ballerina in the middle of a rented office as he demonstrates his company’s latest invention: a wristband that remotely guides the movements of a toy BB-8, the undeniably adorable droid that starred in last year’s blockbuster Disney-Lucasfilm space opera, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

On the ground, by Wilson’s feet, the orblet traces arcs across the floor—a robot chasing its trail. Wilson, cofounder and chief architect of Sphero, a connected toy startup based in Boulder, Colo., invited Fortune to preview, the “Force Band,” a wearable device that lets a person control the bot’s movements with mere hand gestures (rather than tapping a smartphone’s touchscreen).

The BB-8 orbits Wilson, rolling along, guided by its master’s hand; invisible commands link the two, whispered by silent Bluetooth radio waves.

“We were trying to find something that would make it even more magical than it already was,” Wilson says, mid-corkscrew.

My turn: I strap the gadget, which resembles a digital watch, on my wrist. The band clasps magnetically. After pressing its central button a couple of times, the voice of a Jedi tells me to place my hand near the BB-8. A blue light signals that the toys have synced.

Now we orient ourselves. I hold my arm aloft, rolling it along its axis. The BB-8’s head twists accordingly. Quickly sweeping my hand like a maneki-neko figurine sends the toy zooming ahead. The thing immediately collides into a wall and decapitates.

We reset the dome. A beckoning bicep curl boosts the BB-8 back in my direction. Piloting consists of a few maneuvers: force push, force pull, and steering (sorry, no force choke). A few more test runs and I start to get a hang of the mechanics. So I challenge Wilson to a duel.

The matchup is a joke. Wilson’s BB-8 runs circles around mine. It dodges my thrusts like a bored matador. He parries with the panache of an orchestral conductor. A flick of the wrist and—cleonk—his remote-controlled bowling ball strikes mine from the side.

Sheepishly, I concede defeat.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

After the skirmish, Wilson shows off an apropos edition of the toy: the battle-worn BB-8. The cosmetic upgrade (downgrade?) features decals that appear roughed up. “There were a lot of fan pictures out there of him peeking out behind stuff, and you could just tell that it wasn’t the real thing because of how clean that BB-8 was,” Wilson says.

“We wanted to say, This is the BB-8 from Jakku,” a desert planet in the Star Wars universe where parts of the most recent film are set, he says. “It’s dirty, it’s been out there.”

Wilson proceeds to introduce the Force Band’s other gameplay features. In addition to driving, there’s a “combat mode.” Gesture and the wristband makes noises: TIE Fighter wail, X-Wing whistle, Chewbacca groan. (The combat aspect requires some imagination.)

Lastly, there’s Force Awareness. “Say it’s the middle of the day and you feel a disturbance in the Force,” Wilson says, then you can search the space around you and find hidden prizes. The scavenger hunt recalls Pokémon Go, except the items are not geocached and the range is more confined.

In this case, wandering unlocks “Holocrons”—Star Wars artifacts that contain secret knowledge, basically virtual collectible cards displaying characters like Rey and General Leia, or extra combat sounds, like the screech of the Millennium Falcon, the crackling whoosh of Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, and the foreboding buzz of a stormtrooper’s Z6 riot control baton—in an accompanying app.

So far there are about 100 digital collectibles, Wilson says. He adds that the number may increase in future software updates. “This will just continuously get better as we go along,” he says.

“Usually you can get about five to six [Holocrons] within the first play session,” Wilson estimates. He defines one “play session” as lasting about an hour and a half, about equal to the droid’s battery life.

Watch BB-8 visit Fortune’s offices:

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll find the Force Band delightful—if not a little frustrating to use at the get-go. The device is still a big improvement over the touchscreen directional pad it replaces. It lets you wield the Force (sort of)!

I tell Wilson that I assume Sphero is in talks with Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go. After all, the BB-8 toy could easily moonlight as a Poké Ball.

Wilson replies diplomatically, describing his company’s partnership with Disney (DIS) in glowing terms. He says Sphero is focused on furthering that relationship right now, yet Wilson regards Sphero as an unbounded platform for stories, characters, and fictional universes to come to life.

“We’re not exclusive,” he adds.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Trump gets the peace deal he wants and rages against Israel’s Netanyahu: ‘He has no f—ing judgement. I let him know that’
EconomyMarkets
Trump gets the peace deal he wants and rages against Israel’s Netanyahu: ‘He has no f—ing judgement. I let him know that’
By Jim EdwardsJune 15, 2026
1 hour ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei testifies during a Senate hearing on July 25, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic rushes to put out its latest fire in Washington
By Andrew NuscaJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Animoca Brands cofounder Yat Siu argues Asia will fuse AI and the blockchain before the West does
AsiaCryptocurrency
Animoca Brands cofounder Yat Siu argues Asia will fuse AI and the blockchain before the West does
By Angelica AngJune 15, 2026
4 hours ago
Gwynne Shotwell, President & COO, SpaceX
Startups & VentureSpaceX
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
By Eva RoytburgJune 15, 2026
5 hours ago
Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO
AIAnthropic
How a warning from Amazon led the White House to shut down Anthropic’s Mythos model
By Beatrice NolanJune 14, 2026
14 hours ago
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warns U.S. restrictions on new Anthropic AI models show danger of relying too much on American providers
AICanada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warns U.S. restrictions on new Anthropic AI models show danger of relying too much on American providers
By Rob Gillies, Jason Ma and The Associated PressJune 14, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
Personal Finance
Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
By John W. Diamond and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
3 days ago
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
Success
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
2 days ago
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
Economy
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
By Nick LichtenbergJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
Energy
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
By Jason MaJune 14, 2026
17 hours ago
The Gen Z cofounder of $1.6 billion Whop says his platform has minted over 650 millionaires—he wants to make work fun and money worries obsolete
Success
The Gen Z cofounder of $1.6 billion Whop says his platform has minted over 650 millionaires—he wants to make work fun and money worries obsolete
By Emma BurleighJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
Investing
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
By Adveith Nair and BloombergJune 14, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.