Sphero BB-8 review: Cute Star Wars gadget could help Orbotix in its mission to put a robot in every home

Sphero BB-8 looks great, too, thanks to its excellent paint-job and details like the inductive charging base, a doughnut shaped affair that looks snazzy itself

Orbotix, the company behind the Sphero robot series has been making brilliant robots for years, mostly in the shape of balls which scoot speedily around when remote controlled by smartphone or tablet.

But it’s this new model which is likely to make the company much more widely known. It’s a tie-in with the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, which hits screens in December. In the movie is a droid called BB-8 and it’s essentially a sphere with a head balanced on top. Sphero would have had no problem with the ball-like bit, obviously, that’s the company’s strength. But getting a head to stay balanced on top, no matter which way the ball beneath is turning, is a real achievement.

Of course, it’s attached magnetically, but the way it faces the right way and is always on top is frankly a wonder to behold. And this is a quick-moving gadget, so the way the head compensates for this is really impressive.

Sphero BB-8 looks great, too, thanks to its excellent paint-job and details like the inductive charging base, a doughnut shaped affair that looks snazzy itself. He’s nowhere near as big as the one in the movie, of course, measuring just about five inches from base to the top of his head.

As with previous Sphero balls, this one is remote-controlled by touchscreen. Once you’ve paired BB-8 with an Android or iPhone, you can direct it to move forward and back, shoot off in circles or wherever you choose. He’s pretty robust so you needn’t worry if he falls off the table (he will) though a big bang may cause his head to pop off. BB-8 makes noises, so he can let you know if you’re treating him too roughly. He can also say yes and no so you could ask people to talk to the droid and not you in future.

There’s another feature which is worth investigating. If you record a video on your smartphone, it can be transformed into a hologram that you can see if you hold the phone near BB-8. I mean, you can only look at it through the phone screen, it’s not out in the air like it was for Princess Leia, but it’s still pretty cool.

This is a fantastic toy, intricately put together and immaculately realised, so that it will appeal to a very wide demographic. Updates will add extra features, new games and perhaps even new ways to control BB-8.

There are cheaper Star Wars tie-in gadgets – this one costs £129.99 – but the fun to be had from BB-8 is wonderful.

Orbotix has a mission, to put a robot in every home. That, as the company accepts, is still some way from reality but it’s a dead cert that BB-8 will help them on their way.