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

Star Wars Newest Sphero Toy Is an Evil Droid That Looks for You

By
John Patrick Pullen
John Patrick Pullen
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Patrick Pullen
John Patrick Pullen
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 31, 2017, 11:00 AM ET

Star Wars fans gearing up for The Last Jedi—have you felt it? There’s been a great disturbance in The Force. Okay, well, maybe a small disturbance. Specifically, it’s the same size as BB-8, and painted in a sinister-looking black. Sphero, the maker of popular app-controllable robots, just revealed BB-9E, the newest droid in the Star Wars galaxy.

The new Star Wars character was revealed as a part of Sphero’s growing product line of toy droids. Sphero’s first app-enabled droid was the $149 BB-8, originally launched with Disney’s blessing in 2015, prior to the release of The Force Awakens. The new BB-9E droid is identical in size, abilities, and price to BB-8, but it comes with menacing First Order look and has a particularly sour demeanor.

And never to be outdone, R2-D2 joins the fray at $179, boasting integrated speakers and a drop-down third leg that lets it cruise around in true Artoo style. Both the new BB-9E and R2-D2 will be available for sale alongside the previously-released BB-8 through Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, the Disney Store, Sphero.com, Target, and other outlets starting at midnight, Sept. 1.

Sphero’s relationship with Star Wars and Disney has been a short but sweet one for the startup. While spending time in a Disney-run accelerator in 2014, the company caught the attention of Disney CEO Bob Iger, who later enlisted its technology to bring the ball-shaped robot to life in Star Wars’ newest films. Since then, Sphero has not only brought Star Wars droids to market, but in 2017 also put out an ultra-realistic Lightning McQueen from Pixar’s Cars and an artificial intelligence-backed Spiderman doll co-branded by Marvel.

Star Wars, however, is the most powerful force in the toy aisle, and to that end, Sphero has been wise to keep its products fresh. Since launching its BB-8 toy in 2015, the company added new features and accessories in 2016, like making the droid respond to scenes while “watching” Star Wars movies, and letting it be controlled by a “Force”-enabled wristband instead of a smartphone app. Sphero’s new BB-9E and R2-D2 droids will also be able to perform those tricks, and more.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The most exciting feature launching along with the new droids is a new part of the app called Droid Trainer, which uses augmented reality to let the droids take users on tours of starships like the Millennium Falcon. The company is also promising other features in the future, but true Star Wars fans likely have just one thing on their mind: “Threepio!? Where could he be!?“

About the Author
By John Patrick Pullen
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
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A veiled Iranian woman holds her cellphone displaying a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
CybersecuritySecurity
Cyber retaliation from Iran is a problem for U.S. companies — ‘It’s in the hands of a 19-year-old hacker in a Telegram room,’ ex-NSA operative says
By Amanda GerutMarch 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Two girls look at a white laptop placed on a desk.
AIEducation
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Big TechSocial Media
YouTube’s cofounder and former tech boss doesn’t want his kids to watch short videos, warning short-form content ‘equates to shorter attention spans’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 1, 2026
8 hours ago
Slack cofounder Stewart Butterfield
SuccessProductivity
Slack cofounder says workers and CEOs can get stuck doing ‘fake’ work like pre-meetings and slide shows
By Emma BurleighMarch 1, 2026
8 hours ago
heitmann
CommentaryEntrepreneurship
Here’s how to build something that lasts, from the founder of a $300 million bootstrapped company that’s been growing for 28 years straight
By Tim HeitmannMarch 1, 2026
14 hours ago
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
EnergyData centers
Your utility bills keep going up. Here’s everyone you can blame—AI data centers included
By Jordan BlumMarch 1, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
14 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
The week the AI scare turned real and America realized maybe it isn't ready for what's coming
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Trump's universal 401(k) architect on why lower-income people distrust retirement accounts: 'they want to know what the catch is'
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 28, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran is now on 'death ground' amid existential threat from U.S. attacks and could 'go big' in retaliation, former NATO commander warns
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
1 day 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.