BB-8 alarm clock rolls, beeps and plays music when it's time to wake up

What better way to wake up than having a small BB-8 rolling around on your nightstand, beeping at your sleep face and playing music? Such is the method used by a newly introduced BB-8 alarm clock that will be rolling out in Japan soon. The clock looks similar to the BB-8 by Sphero we reviewed last year, though it includes a small display showing the current time and buttons for managing the alarms. The item is made by Rhythm.

The alarm clock was recently previewed by Chinese publication Toy People, which caught its movements on video. As the video shows, a small hatch on the droid pops open to reveal the alarm clock display, which includes a glowing backlight that flickers to match the BB-8's beeping.

The display itself is lackluster, though if you're using a physical alarm clock like this versus your phone, you're probably just in it for the fun design and antics anyway. There are a total of four alarm sounds, including the Imperial March we hear in the video, the BB-8 beeping sounds, the Star Wars theme song, and the market music.

Presumably you can choose between those different alarm themes in addition to setting the time — there appears to be small buttons visible in the video. Overall, the unit is only a few inches tall and wide, and it seems it'll only be available in Japan for the equivalent of about $130 USD. Assuming it doesn't release outside of Japan, you'll have to import it from a third party.