VIDEO: R2-D2 surprises patients at Maine hospital

Patients at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor were treated to a visit by “Star Wars” droid R2-D2 recently.

Paul Bussiere built the replica droid over the course of several years and has been bringing it to visit children at the hospital since at least 2010, when he told The Weekly that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas authorized replica R2s “as long as we’re not trying to make a profit.”

At the time, the realistic replica was the only one in Maine, and cost Bussiere about $5,000 to make. There were about a half dozen such replicas in New England and fewer than 100 worldwide, he said at the time.

“Some just blink,” he said then. “Mine has more safety features, since I’m using it around kids. You don’t want 170 pounds of R2-D2 going crazy around kids.”

The story of Bussiere and his hospital-going R2-D2 has been picked up over the years by national media outlets such as The Escapist and Huffington Post.

“Star Wars” is back in the limelight this week with the release of the latest movie in the series, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

Get a behind-the-scenes look at R2’s most recent visit to the medical center, as well as some reactions, in the hospital’s Facebook video, posted Monday, below: