Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid price & specs

Sphero (USA), licensed from Disney/Lucasfilm Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid (1)

Sphero (USA), licensed from Disney/Lucasfilm Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid (2)

Was $149.99 (2015)

Discontinued · used/leftover onlyPython from a laptopStar WarsMagnetic headVoice commandsDiscontinued

Weeks+Shipping: Used only.

Remote control: The Sphero Edu desktop app lists BB-8 as supported over Bluetooth LE. The unofficial spherov2 Python library also supports it.

LEARN MORE (Sphero legacy products) ↗

Overview

The toy that made Sphero famous. Disney offered Sphero a license after seeing its tech in the Disney accelerator, and BB-8 shipped alongside The Force Awakens with voice commands, autonomous patrol and AR 'holographic' messages. Under the head it is a Sphero ball. Discontinued in 2018 when the Disney partnership ended, and the companion apps were withdrawn in October 2021, though Sphero Edu still programs it.

Type: Rolling robot · Consumer & education
Maker: Sphero (USA), licensed from Disney/Lucasfilm
Released: 2015
Price: Was $149.99 (2015)
Status: Discontinued · used/leftover only
Best for: Ages 8+
Programming: Limited SDK

Price and shipping

Launch price. Released 4 September 2015 ('Force Friday'). A Special Edition with Force Band came later.

Shipping: Used only. Discontinued in 2018. Used units are common on eBay. Batteries are often worn.

Specifications

Category	Spherical & rolling · Consumer & education
Released	2015
Country	USA
Availability	Discontinued · used/leftover only
Sales	Sphero sold over 1 million robots across all product lines in 2015, led by BB-8 (estimate) TechCrunch ↗
Programmability	Limited SDK
Built-in autonomy	Reactive · Responds to its surroundings without a map, such as avoiding obstacles or following a person
LLM support	Possible via SDK · No built-in LLM. Its SDK lets software on a computer control it.
MuJoCo simulation	None found · Nothing found.
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	None found · Nothing found.
Gazebo simulation	None found · Nothing found.
Best for	Ages 8+ (maker rating)
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	DC / gear motors
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Remote control	Python from a laptop
Size	11.4 cm tall × 7.3 cm wide, ~200 g
Locomotion	Sphero-style internal drive cart in the ball, the head stays on top via magnets
Compute	Not published
Camera	None
Sensors	Gyroscope, accelerometer, phone microphone for voice commands
Runtime	~1 h on inductive charge
Speed	Up to 4.5 mph (7 ft/s)
SDK	Original BB-8 app (retired 2021), supported by Sphero Edu (Draw/Blocks/JavaScript/Python)