BB-8 (Photo : Reuters)
The odd-looking rolling robot featured in the latest "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailer was, contrary to many speculation that it was CGI, actually real, according to Tech Crunch.
"Star Wars" director JJ Abrams introduced the robot, named BB-8, during the Star Wars Celebration event. The director added that the robot has a body capable of rolling movement as well as a hovering head.
Abrams said, "Neil Scanlan and his incredible team built and puppeteered BB-8 in the movie, and did an extraordinary job. It was better for the actors, better for the film itself - you'll see their work." The team behind the BB-8's design declined to reveal the mechanism that lets the droid function.
Despite BB-8's fresh design, its existence was first confirmed by Mark Hamill in an interview with Yahoo. Hamill expressed that he was amazed by how the movie's creative department manage to come up with novel ideas to incorporate into the movie. He added that BB-8 has a big potential to top R2D2, the movie's most iconic robot, as the most beloved droid in the series.
The new trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" feature several iteration of some of the franchise's most beloved icons. One that has sparked the most debate is introduction of the new design for the lightsaber. The new lightsaber design features a crossguard and was wielded by the mysterious Kylo Ren, who is also presumed to be the movie's main antagonist.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the seventh installment in the "Star Wars" franchise and will open on December, according to Wired.
