Build Your Own R2-D2

De Agostini Publishing S.p.A.

About this app

- Use with Build Your Own R2-D2 to control his functions and see his camera view. This app works with DeAgostini's Build Your Own R2-D2 and gives access to the droid's advanced functions. It will only operate when your R2-D2 has been fully assembled and powered up. Once the app is installed on your smartphone, you have two ways to pair it with R2-D2. You can either connect it directly to his internal router (Direct mode), or connect both devices via a local Wifi network (Local mode). To go into Local mode, you teach R2-D2 the Wifi connection of the area he is in using a unique QR code, which he will read using his camera.

In either connection mode, you have a choice of Video or Normal Control:

- When Video Control is on, your smartphone screen displays the view from R2-D2's camera, which will change as you drive him around or turn his head. A set of remote controls are superimposed at the bottom. You can capture still pictures or video from his point of view, storing the images in a Gallery within the app or copying them to the library on your phone. You also have a scrollable menu of automatic routines, which include being able to set him exploring his surroundings in an autonomous Patrol mode, turning on his lights and sounds, ejecting a lightsaber, and displaying video clips from his projector.

- When Normal Control is on, your smartphone operates like a conventional remote control, so you can watch as you direct R2-D2 around his environment. You also have access to the same automatic routines as in Video Control.

- An additional Settings control enables you to turn on voice control so that R2-D2 will respond to a range of spoken commands. Turning on facial recognition allows him to pick out a human face from the background and turn to follow it. You can also turn R2-D2's sound effects on or off.

Ratings and reviews

The app is very buggy. As others have stated, the talk menu options go away, as do the hologram menu items. The worst is after turning it back on after sleep, it takes forever to reconnect to the local network. while waiting to reconnect, it takes off running in to things because the sensors aren't activated.

Build was fun. A lot of the things I was looking forward to doing with it don't work. It will not take photos or videos at all. It will not connect to a local wifi. Truly disappointed. For the price paid This should not be acceptable by the company at all. I've seen many reviews with the same complaints. I think it would be reasonable to reimburse people who have built this and been disappointed with it's lack of performance as described in the models abilities.

I've been playing woth the app for a few days now and have a few suggestions for the tech team. 1- To stop it from wandering about please include a wheel lock function so it can stay in place and can do voice recognition functions. 2- Include some sort of diagnostics to test all the sensors are working properly. 3- If it could be accessed remotely when your away from home as its connected to wifi. 4- Some sort of charging indicating when switched off, but still charging. working good!! thanks.

What's new

Update the image view function