The Best BB-8 Fan Build We've Seen!

[@tested]

This BB-8 fan build team: Psy DeLacy: CAD Engineering/Design and structural engineering instagram.com/aeyoQen Chris Stroud: Software/Electrical Engineering instagram.com/@bb8dad Matt Hobbs: Manufacturing Engineer instagram.com/mattsdroids David Ferreira: Mechanical Engineer instagram.com/davemhs99

[@Barnaclebeard]

Everything is facebook. :-(

[@benman3509]

Just a crazy and beautiful piece but for me it didn't got mention enough: The guy controlling it is amazing, just constantly and "naturally" moving all the time like it being a mind on its own.

[@aaronpreston47]

He said he’s not really moving the body all that much, it’s stabilizing itself upright and the main movement of the body is that. Once the stabilizer reaches equilibrium and BB-8 stops moving on his own he just nudges it to make it move again. It’s looks very natural.

[@BryonThomasBain]

Thought it was a bit too much moving. Overkill

[@bobdole4916]

@@BryonThomasBain Yeah, the way he's got it constantly moving is more like somebody constantly rocking - making it more a compulsion to keep moving rather than giving personality. The motion itself is fine, but there need to be pauses, like a little kid looking all around at everything and stopping to stare briefly at stuff every now and again.

[@mikeuk666]

@@bobdole4916 youtube experts....

[@bobdole4916]

@@mikeuk666 Sorry, I studied animation in college, so how characters move kinda matters to me.

[@TwoYaks]

I love this project, and the BB8 team really knocked it out of the park. The puppeting here is genuinely A+! But I also wanted to add a kudos to Norm: He's grown so much in creating his on screen personality, and he really shined doing this interview.

[@CJPortugal]

Truly an amazing build. The level of detail is insane.

[@CatCheshire]

This is so cool! The people who built it are brilliant! O.o

[@naktaal]

I'm really glad they added the motor sounds. That's one of my favorite features about the character in the movies. It adds another dimension to BB8's personality.

[@menamgamg]

I have such a deep appreciation for people who work on their craft and make things like this that spreads happiness into the world :D

[@SamLanena]

As a lifelong musician, I frequently create intangible things from my imagination when inspired. But folk that can fabricate and make physical things from their imagination will always amaze me. That thing is amazing.

[@sapazu]

I have studied close-up magic for over 10 years now, I design and create my own effects and I still can't even imagine how musicians can think and play new music. It feels easy for me to make something that fools persons eyes and mind, but I still envy my friends who can create something that you can't see or touch, but it still makes you feel so much

[@AbsoluteAbsurd]

me too

[@richardwhite3521]

Until just now I assumed this was impossible. But I never really thought about it. This is incredible.

[@Wico90YT]

They built a real one for the movies too. There's a ton of fan builders who have made them. James Brutton has 3 series on his versions if you're interested

[@vickmackey24]

Which aspect of BB-8 did you find to be impossible? You never considered the use of magnets to keep the head on?

[@richardwhite3521]

@@vickmackey24 I never really considered what it would take to make a real life one at all. Kindof just dismissed it after thinking of how much of a hinderance a single pebble would be to a rolling sphere like that.

[@peterkelley6344]

Until now I also thought this was impossible to design in reality. Seeing this totally changes my view that it can be done. Now lets throw a computer in there, AND a communication system, and see how much more real this might become.

[@MikeB12800]

They had one on stage when The Force Awakens was released.

[@stanleyyelnats476]

jeez this is the first one I've seen where he makes the motor sound from the movies while he rolls. It is so simple but it blew me away.

[@thanemakes5377]

Really great work! The detail and build is just next level

[@RobbBoswell]

That is astounding 😲 kudos to that team for doing that.. thanks for showing us!

[@marcusswingle8627]

Love her natural ears! And BB8 is amazing. Great job

[@JonBck]

Such attention to details, especially in the interaction. The thinking going into synthetic engine sounds, and connecting that to things such as orienting a crowd was great. Truly HCI in its finest!

[@UncleManuel]

Some builds are on another level. This is just one example of it. The prototyping for a working BB-8 must have been insanely complicated... 😮😮

[@williamdecker3989]

FrSky radios are great! BB-8 must have good range! Nice build!

[@GTechno13]

From what I can tell from the girls insta, the ball is rigidly attached to an axle inside which makes me wonder how it turns. It does have a large counter weight and I wonder if they are turning that as a moment wheel. EDIT: Looked closer, that is definitely how they are doing it. Also, having the rigid axle with slip rings (vs omni wheels) inside is how they are able to put LEDs in the ball which is super clever.

[@greensteve9307]

*Psy DeLacy is her name.

[@OmegaTwig]

If you want the actual schematics there are two main sphere designs: Vonjet and Cary with two main drive systems: Joe's Drive and Cary's drive. You can use each sphere with each drive. The Vonjet sphere is all 3d printed with Cary selling injection molded plastic for his sphere. The drives are functionally equivalent with some differences in how they connect to the sphere and the magnetic head connection.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

I love that he's always a little wobbly. "C'mon, 3-P, have a drink with me!!"

[@ThatGeekyMaker]

OMG Way to go Psy!

[@Geeksmithing]

YAY PSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😱😎😁 It's been such a treat watching your little guy evolve over the years! Congrats to you and your entourage! :D

[@kathyevans3251]

It's a wonderful robot. Thank you for sharing it.

[@IowaMan]

ah man those motors sound so cool, never heard that before.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

_"I'm getting out of here quickly and quietly because that's how I roll."_ -BB-8

[@immortanjoe9362]

The engineer in me wants to dismantle this amazing creation and see how it works. But it's just too damned awesome.

[@devonmartinbasson]

Hahahah bruh, same... The whole video my mind is just pulling it apart.

[@PhilG999]

I'm a Mechanical Engineer (now retired) and I was thinking the same thing!

[@natepropes]

Its a surprisingly simple system inside, yet incredible delicately balanced at the same time. I had the opportunity to hang out with them for 2 days so I got to see a lot of the behind the scenes stuff with how it all works. And now....I've started building my own to go alongside my R2-D2. If you're interested in seeing how all this stuff does go together and work, check out the BB-8 Builders Club.

[@CaydeSmax]

can't waity to see the thumbs up / middle finger build ! love bb8 ! nice vid !

[@JonesNate]

It's cool that they managed to do this...but, personally I've never really liked BB-8's constant movement. It makes the character seem to have some nervous tick. It's like BB-8 is never *able* to relax and rest. Something I'd like to see, if you're going to do a BB-8, is a "contented sigh" type of beep/sound when it settles into a nonmotive state. That would make it seem like the character is taking a minute to relax. From that position, I think simple axial pivoting would be sufficient to keep the character seeming alert/alive/conscious.

[@gregmainer5416]

A.D.D.-8

[@rjramrod]

@@gregmainer5416 BB-80HD

[@gregmainer5416]

@@rjramrod 🤣

[@user-tb5ns7hc5i]

Totally agree. There was too much constant movement by the operator. Sometimes less is more and more realistic. Looks like Parkinsons. Dial it back a bit and you’re perfect!

[@rodelbunag9823]

High respect to the creator !

[@MattWinchell]

Let's go Psy!

[@StooBeeDoo1234]

Feckin' awesome guys! Nice job 🙂

[@bzqp2]

The robot looks more alive than the dude controling it :D

[@FlynnsArcade_go]

Amazing BB-8.

[@cbryantbear6498]

I love the toe shoes!!!! Does not surprise me!!!

[@zmarko]

That is amazing. I love it!

[@StevenHouse1980]

I think a pumped multi-chamber oil or water lower iner-cage, might provide an intresting balance/propultion system. Freeing space in the lower section for storage of whatever.

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great technology wow wonderful robot thank you so much sir for sharing another great video.

[@curriehot]

Theses guy and girls have built something totally awesome I wish I had the money to buy one

[@christophercollins868]

That is incredible. But I feel that Chopper from SW Rebels doesnt get enough love. Chopper would mop the floor with R2 and BB8!

[@georgeaura]

the only thing i have never seen anyone put a camera in its eye so it can actually see or so you can fpv it.

[@frollard]

next step throw a ROS AI stack on there and have it genuinely autonomous.

[@PotatosPotatoes]

There were a couple of BB-8s at DragonCon last week that were top notch. You guys should definitely check it out next year!

[@Geeksmithing]

This team was there!

[@gallimead]

The sphere. The challenges for creating that level of smoothness, and the parts that sit flush. Just gives me a headache thinking about it

[@sdluun]

Was that Scraps that went by at the start? 😃

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Scraps cosplay maybe ;)

[@ZennExile]

training an AI to make this autonomous would be super fun

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thanks.

[@raelynfey]

I think I met this BB8 and one of the engineers at Dragoncon!

[@Livlifetaistdeth]

Fantastic!

[@Turnpost2552]

These guys are such hippies.

[@anon_y_mousse]

That's a pretty cool BB-8. I wonder if her parents are fans of X-Men and if her middle name is Locke. Would be really cool if so.

[@funkkymonkey6924]

I love it; a CGI amalgamation mimicked perfectly.

[@x_Dude1]

Have to ask and wonder - can it travel on water/slippery surfaces? Always enjoyed watching and hearing the little droids from SW.

[@natepropes]

As long as it is a flat surface, it will roll regardless of how much "traction" that it has. Basically it has an axel and swings a weight forward/back to cause the ball to roll, so it doesn't rely on traditional traction methods.

[@rivards1]

"We watched the movie a lot...". Thus proving that art is pain.

[@MichaelWutsch]

Force awakens was good

[@rivards1]

@@MichaelWutsch for what?

[@GL-tx9dv]

@@rivards1 me to poop on! Jk it’s fun even if it’s not great

[@waytospergtherebro]

I must be missing something because it looks like all the panel lines are simply printed on a smooth surface.

[@wadewilson524]

I know the team well - the panels are individually 3D printed. They are truly just that good at what they do.

[@HighTech636]

That’s amazing

[@MetalHendrix.]

I will let Him walk thru my house Forever. It’s Gorgeous.

[@keerthitejamatta6323]

I never believed that it would be possible to build a real one.

[@wadewilson524]

I know this team personally and can tell you they are absolutely amazing people. If it can be done, they’ll figure a way. They did this WITHOUT a multimillion dollar budget! Imagine the Moon or Mars rover they could build *without* spending billions!

[@171QA]

Wow!

[@BarbadosBeerFestival]

This the grey area that makes sci-fi to real. This is great!

[@MILKS_Vtuber]

かわいい！！！ very cute ！！！

[@Matt..S]

No one gonna talk about The Mandaslavian in his beskar Adidas suit?

[@armchair1]

I remember seeing a demonstration of sound waves putting out a fire. I also remember Myth busters pursuit of the brown note and the military crowd deterrent on a big truck. Could these be put together to fight wild fires for real?

[@drhassoon]

You have just seen the blueprint for the next Adam Savage project 🤣

[@gbishel]

The technology to build drone like this one existed for like 10 years. Thanks to the movies now there is an excuse to do it 😍

[@aarontom]

James Bruton has a great series where he builds a BB8 from scratch if anyone wants to see more of the build process!

[@owenvanscoyk3116]

Am I the only one who noticed the obscene shoes she’s wearing?

[@Nate-bd8fg]

Oh GOD

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

Can it turn on the spot? I have seen a few BB-8 builds that can, but they didn't have the head puppeteering ablity of this build.

[@ltpinecone]

Now wait until they put lidar and cameras in him so he can move around on his own!

[@CaydeSmax]

this feels like a mogwai of gremlins origin story.

[@peterjhhoey7567]

will buy it along with VeVe Ecomi

[@rollovaughan]

It’s cool.

[@peterjhhoey7567]

plus a DJI support helmet without manual control

[@abaroon77]

Nice 👍🏻

[@Azalynnnn]

This is why Sci Fi is so important in expanding peoples imaginations and skillsets as they strive to achieve "fiction"

[@hugosantos1476]

Sou fã da saga StAR Wars desde criança! Pensava que era impossível fazer um BB-8 na vida real, mas estava enganado!

[@RoelfvanderMerwe]

Sweet Jesus 😳

[@Senpaiaproves]

If only those movies were any good :(

[@ProfessorGeo]

bro this is how humanity will end. One of these things are gonna get sentient AI

[@Deathbysnusnu125]

I feel like they couldn't fix the rocking so they said it was what they were going for.

[@AbsoluteAbsurd]

shes wearing toe shoes thats so cool

[@oliverpavicevic5387]

Great peace of engineering. But, I think that they are moving it too much for that character. BB8 moves, is curious, but animation should have some purpose.

[@illustriouschin]

What makes this one the best?

[@natepropes]

It's incredibly well built and polished. With most 3D printed droids, you can find the layer lines if you're close enough. I spent the better part of 2 days hanging out with them and if I didn't know it was 3D printed, I wouldn't have been able to sell. If you've been around a bunch of BB-8s, you'd likely say the same.

[@maryconvento770]

Awesome and amazing work! Just FYI, BB-8 is a girl.

[@alphacentaur9587]

Noice!

[@baileydavis1616]

What is this convention

[@aserhassan]

Both didn't understand Chris's joke 😆 Software engineers jokes are a bit twisted 😅. Now Chris has to find a way seriously for BB-8 to do the thumbs up 😆

[@oldgoat75]

Dogs don't need to go everywhere.

[@mikeuk666]

Kids don't need to comment everywhere

[@rudyoliveira6532]

Must b nice being friends with Tom Sachs

[@Proxoor]

talking about the movement, the guy with the control is moving it - there is nothing unique to his character and what exactly was worked on? As all I’m seeing is the guy controlling the head

[@averagecarguy961]

Drive it on the beach, I’m tryin to see something 🧐🤔…

[@eduardoo3207]

Whats really shocking are those girls shoes lol 😆

[@GadgetAddict]

The guy looks like a younger Linus (tech tips),.with longer hair.

[@MakerMaddox]

Finding eachother aaaaaaaaaaaaaand falling in love? IS THERE A LOVE STORY HERE?! I NEED TO KNOW. (This is epic. They don't have to be in love for me to appreciate the build BUT... it wouldn't hurt)

[@anarky4711]

Real world application: wheelchair $$

[@humbledcomposer]

Bb-8 doesnt always move, and it looks un-natural for him to be always moving.

[@GunnyPerrero]

Is she wearing cosplay shoes or is she going rock hopping?

[@JeffeyFF]

21st century hippies

[@dumpstertrash420]

i love norm

[@DrakeAurum]

Okay, he looks cool, but watching him for more than a few seconds is literally giving me motion sickness.

[@jedifyfe]

The constant head movement looks like he has Parkinson’s.

[@Shteev91]

WTF are they wearing on their feet?

[@spidersj12]

After watching this I wonder how many "tune able parameters" a real human being has... of course tune able would be classified as learning mixed with genetically inherited parameters, but it's interesting to contemplate.

[@ollllj]

the ADHD bot strikes back