Disney’s New Star Wars Droids Are Already Waddling Through Its Theme Parks

Earlier this week, Disney researchers revealed a new autonomous walking robot they developed that looked straight out of a Star Wars movie. That choice was apparently very intentional, as today several of the droids were spotted waddling through Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland in California.

Disney's Imagineers—the company's name for the engineers and designers that create its theme parks' attractions—have already recreated Star Wars droid characters like R2-D2 and BB-8. These characters currently make appearances at Galaxy's Edge, roaming through the park and making the attraction feel more like a galaxy far, far away.

What sets these new robots apart from Star Wars' more recognizable droids is that instead of rolling through the park, they're able to walk and self-balance on two legs.

Seemingly inspired by BD-1, the droid featured in the Star Wars Jedi video games, the new robots are relatively basic. They feature a moving head and a pair of legs, but they still appear to be very emotive and convincingly self-aware thanks to movements created by Disney's talented animators.

Disneyland News Today shared a video of the three new robots, classified as Explorer Droids, doing exactly that at the Galaxy's Edge attraction in Anaheim, California. Sporting colorful new paint jobs and added details that make them look even more like they're from the Star Wars universe, the droids were "in training" as they looked around inquisitively while being led through the park by a handler.

As lifelike as the little robots look, they differ from the recently revealed prototype in one key factor: they're not autonomous. At several points in the video, a trio of operators can be seen controlling the Explorer droids using wireless remotes, which is how many of the other droids and robotic characters roaming Disney's parks are brought to life. That doesn't make them appear any less endearing, however. Were these to show up in Disneyland's gift shops, the company would make (another) small (large) fortune.