The Star Wars franchise has been popular since the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released in 1977 and, since then, the sci-fi fantasy film series has not only opened up opportunities to explore similar themes in cinema, but also inspired technological advancements with the gadgets used by characters in the films.
Tech Times has listed down four real-life functional wearables inspired by the Star Wars franchise. Take a look at the list below and see if it is agreeable to your inner jedi or sith lord.
The Force Band
In September, Sphero co-founder Adam Wilson unveiled The Force Band on CNBC. Sphero is the company that released the BB-8 Droid toy that kids and adults went nuts for even before Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released in December 2015.
The Force Band, a wearable wrist device, is able to control the movements of Sphero's BB-8 Droid toy, which was originally sold by itself, up to a distance of 100 feet. The device works by detecting the wearer's hand movements in order to control the direction where BB-8 would roll to and, since it is only worn on the wrist, it would seem as if BB-8 is controlled by The Force.
Wilson also revealed in the interview that The Force Band is also able to control all the company's other robots and that Sphero is focused on expanding its Star Wars merchandise. It may be designed as a toy but it is wearable and very cool.
Lando Calrissian's Wristwatch
Everyone wants a Lando Calrissian watch, especially after seeing how cool and functional it is. Luckily, tech companies are in a race to make the best smartwatch on the market and, just like Calrissian's own device, smartwatches can be used as a communication device and to keep track of many aspects of our everyday lives.
Functional Prosthetic Arms
Anakin Skywalker was literally disarmed — in all senses of the word — by Obi-Wan Kenobi and, as Darth Vader, he also gave a similar fate to Luke. As luck would have it, both father and son were given a fully functional hand. In Anakin's case, arms and legs.
In the real world, technology has improved prosthetics to make them fully functional, and this Star Wars-themed prosthetic arm is a perfect example of that.
Virtual Reality Wearables
Star Wars-inspired virtual reality tech is really cool but its inclusion in this list is mostly for its entertainment value more than functionality. Still, it is a very real piece of technology that fans can use to immerse themselves further in the Star Wars universe.
