The IT-series represented a specific design: small, spherical, and floating droids. These were created on the droid-populated moon of Uffel as the Galactic Republic neared its end, in its final years. Around 31 BBY, the droids from Uffel's Research and Development facility assigned several IT-series droids, such as IT-R9, to observe visiting tourist groups. The purpose of this assignment was to enable the droids to analyze and learn about the behavioral patterns of organic lifeforms.