Now you can add "fish tank" along side "beverage cooler" and "projector" on the long list of job titles R2-D2 has had in his post-acting career. But rest assured that no matter what his occupation happens to be, R2 has a strong work ethic. In addition to housing your fish, he will rotate his head and utter his trademark bleeps with any voice command. He also features overhead LED tank lights that rotate colours and a periscope built-into his radar eye for spying on the fish floating in his robo-belly. On the downside, R2 never works cheap—this beauty will set you back $US130. [Hammacher Schlemmer via TFTS via Geekalerts]

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Remember that time in Star Wars when R2-D2 shot out the lightsaber to Luke Skywalker? Yeah, well the only problem with that scene was that lightsabers don't freaking exist. And until they do, robots of the future must be retrofitted with the next best thing—copious amounts of booze. (Which, as we see in this picture, is something that certain cast members of the ill-fated show Firefly can appreciate).

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This toy wristwatch is Star Warsishly perfect: it's a digital blue and white Artoo-themed digital watch with a mini detachable infra-red remote control R2D2. I'd be sending this trundling down the desks in my office to put a smile on my colleagues faces in a pew-pewing instant! (Well, I would if I worked in an office. Here it'd just get chewed by the cats.) Doesn't look like it makes Artoo's trademark beeps, though: you'll just have to be a big kid and supply 'em yourself. It's out now for about $US40. [Firebox via RandomGoodStuff]

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I hate, hate, alarm clocks. Especially after going out and having way too many straight bourbons. Like yesterday. But I digress. This R2-D2 Alarm Clock will wake you up with real R2 squeeks and electrobabbles. And while it doesn't have the same power as the much-lusted-after R2-D2 video projector, it projects the time on the wall, too, using lasers, or tractor beams, or probably just LEDs. [Wesco via Toyology]

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Add this one to the "ouch, ouch, ouch" Photoshop bin. Yeah, I can use the pen tool to smoothly decapitate R2 and throw a Coke can top and USB cord in too. What I can't do, though, is build an actual USB beverage can cooler out of a shrunken R2-D2 model. Which I would want. It's up for pre-order at Play.com for US$36--whether you get a layered .PSD or an actual cooler, though, remains to be seen. [Product Page via Nerd Approved]

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Forget Dr Who's TARDIS, sci-fi USB hub fans (come on... you know who you are) are going to go bonkers over these official R2D2 and Vader USB hubs. R2's head moves, he lights up and emits genuine Star Wars sound effects every three minutes, while Vader just seems to have the sound effects and glowing eyes. *Shiver*... menacing. Of course they also have four full-speed USB sockets on the front, and come with three feet of USB cable. Available in July for around US$66... but that's in Japan, USB hub fans. [JapanStarWars via Technabob]

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These gigantic Japanese nerds just rigged up an R2-D2 DVD Projector into a server monitoring system that alerts them whenever a system is down. R2's got Nagios, a monitoring app, an IR controller, and the ability to project what's wrong for the people to see. The video illustrates how it works in a dramatically geeky manner. These should be standard issue in every server farm around the world. [Syun - Thanks Motohiro!]

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It may not be as amazing as one made out of aluminum, and you won't be able project video with it, but in a day where all news is going to be about you know what, maybe it's time to take a deep breath, turn on the ink jet printer, grab some scissors and glue and spend some quality time with your inner Force building your own R2-D2 paper robot (instead of a mini-Steve .) And it doesn't only look cool: this thing is articulated.

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We knew that there was a motorised, fully-articulated R2-D2 projector with built-in DVD, iPod dock, all kinds of digital media inputs, and Millennium Falcon remote control, but we never—EVER—imagined it would be so amazingly drooltastic as this video shows. Time to put on your LEGO-made Han Solo jacket or Leia bikini, and buy this thing—because after watching it in action, I don't care about the lack of Full HD support: this thing is absolutely I must have, caress, fondle, and lick all over material. Reaching nerdgasm, however, still costs US$2,995. [Star Wars Shop via Star Wars Blog]

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Kenny Baker, the man behind everyone's favourite 'droid, is in a Manchester hospital after suffering a severe asthma attack. The 73-year-old actor was on a Manchester-bound plane returning from a sci-fi convention in the US when he was taken ill. A speedy recovery from everyone at Gizmodo, Kenny. [Telegraph]

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