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

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

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

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

Wikipedia (Sphero) ↗PCMag review ↗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 Discontinued in 2018 when the Disney partnership ended, and the companion apps were withdrawn in October 2021, though Sphero Edu still programs it.

Specifications

Category	Spherical & rolling · Consumer & education
Released	2015
Availability	Discontinued · used/leftover only
Programmability	Limited SDK
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)