Ask HN: Has Anyone Modded the BB-Unit from Disneyland Galaxy's Edge?
It seems like it is basically a 1st-party replacement for the older licenced Sphero BB-8, except really big (~10 inches high), and reacts to bluetooth beacons scattered around the theme park.
https://secure.cdn1.wdpromedia.com/dam/disneyland/shops/disneyland/droid-depot/BB-8-Instruction-Sheet-064019.pdf
I'm curious if anyone has attempted to mod/hack this? It has a number of inconveniences:
- It has a physical bluetooth remote, but I'd love to be able to pair it to a smartphone app instead.
- It runs on a stack of AA batteries, rather than having a built-in battery with induction charging.
- It goes into a power-save mode after 5 minutes of inactivity, and seemingly the only way to wake it back up is to crack it open and flip the powerswitch off/on again.
- The magnets attaching the head are fairly weak, and the head flies off even on pretty gentle impacts.
It's a little underwhelming as is, so I'd love suggestions on (relatively simple) mods that would improve it.