This is what it looks like, the new tech building block from Lego.Image: lego/dpa
With the “Smart Brick”, Lego is launching a building block that makes building interactive with sound, light and recognition of figures. What’s behind the technology?
01/06/2026, 04:5001/06/2026, 04:50
The Danish toy company Lego presented a new type of interactive building block at the CES technology trade fair. The so-called Lego Smart Brick features a speaker, LED lights and a tiny chip that recognizes and can 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.
Building blocks with chips
The “Smart Brick” contains a 4.1 millimeter 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 device also has 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.
The new chip stone…Image: keystone
Wookiee roar in the Star Wars set
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 hairy 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.
… contains, among other things, a mini speaker and sensors.Image: keystone
Digital game without a screen
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 the 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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