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The Danish toy company Lego has at the technology fair CES presented a new type of interactive component. The Lego Smart Brick features a speaker, LED lights and a tiny chip that can recognize and interact with other Smart Bricks and minifigures.
The smart building block with the associated sensors and figures is one of the most significant developments in the Lego system since the introduction of the Lego minifigure in 1978, said Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the Lego Group.
Smart brick with chip and battery
The Smart Brick contains a 4.1 mm special chip and copper coils as well as a rechargeable battery. This allows the brick to record the distance and orientation of other smart bricks in its vicinity. The brick also features a tiny built-in speaker, an accelerometer, and an LED display.
The building block also recognizes which figures or special sensors (smart tags) are near it. For example, if you place a figure on a vehicle, the stone reacts with the appropriate sound or light.
Used in Star Wars kits
The smart bricks are scheduled to come onto the market in March 2026. Three Star Wars kits will also be offered at launch, including the X-Wing Fighter, which responds to flight movements with sound. In addition, Lego will offer interactive minifigures, including a furry Chewbacca who lets out his signature Wookiee roar when brought near the Smart Brick. Lego has not yet provided any information about the prices of the interactive toy.
With the interactive building blocks and figures, Lego is pursuing the strategic approach of not putting the digital on a screen. The Smart Bricks do not replace analog building blocks, but rather serve as amplifiers for physical play.
Tom Donaldson, Head of Creative Play Lab at Lego Group, said the launch of Lego Smart Play brings together creativity, technology and storytelling to make creating worlds and stories even more exciting – without a screen. “We firmly believe that we are setting a new standard for interactive, imaginative experiences.”
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