The B1 grapple droid served as a unit within the Separatist Droid Army during the Clone Wars. This conflict, a galactic struggle, pitted the Confederacy of Independent Systems against the Galactic Republic. These droids were a version of the B1-series battle droid. Functionally, the B1 grapple droid, similar to its B2 counterpart, was equipped with grappling claws designed for hand-to-hand combat. They were a type of droid specifically designed for close quarters engagements.
These fourth-class droids were built in the likeness of their Geonosian creators. The troopers stood at a height of 1.93 meters and featured white and green armor plating. They also included black photoreceptors, comlink booster packs, and a basic vocabulator for communication.
Within the current Star Wars canon, B1 grapple droids made an appearance in the mobile game Star Wars: Galactic Defense. This game was available from 2014 until its retirement in 2016. Conversely, in the Star Wars Legends continuity, the B1 grapple droids debuted in the 2000 video game titled Star Wars: Episode I Jedi Power Battles. While Star Wars: Galactic Defense simply referred to B1 grapple droids as "Melee troops," and the droid plating colors resembled the plasma battle droids from Star Wars: Episode I Jedi Power Battles, the launch trailer for Star Wars: Galactic Defense identified the units as B1 grapple droids, but the trailer mistakenly labeled an image of an Imperial Heavy Trooper as such.
In the context of Star Wars: Galactic Defense, B1 grapple droids functioned as melee units present in the "Dark Side" missions. Players had the option to deploy these droids to defend against incoming waves of enemy forces, including clone troopers and Jedi. The droids were deployed in groups of three, and players could upgrade them into B2 grapple droids. The 2018 activity book Star Wars Droids Mad Libs: World's Greatest Word Game features a "Prepare For Battle" prompt that references B1 grapple droids, providing spaces for players to fill in words describing the droids' behavior during battles and their use of grapples in combat.