LEGO SMART Brick lights up and plays sounds during play

LEGO SMART Brick – All photos are courtesy of © The Lego Group.

Design, Technology. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, LEGO unveiled the SMART Play™ System, a platform centred on a 2×4 smart brick that senses motion, position, and distance, and interacts with users, unlocking infinite storytelling… without screens. With sensors hidden in plain sight and play kept gloriously physical, the toy brand proves that the future of building can still click together, beep proudly, and spark wonder—brick by brilliant brick.

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Powered by a custom-made chip, measuring smaller than a standard LEGO stud, each piece comes with an array of sensors. An accelerometer measures tilt and movement, speakers and synthesisers generate sounds on the fly, and ambient LED lights. Bluetooth connectivity allows pieces to communicate, creating surprisingly expressive physical networks.

LEGO SMART Brick.

The SMART Play™ System also includes smart tags and minifigures, broadening narrative possibilities without screens. “All of this is about keeping play physical,’ said Julia Goldin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group, during the CES presentation.

LEGO SMART Tag.

For instance, build a helicopter and place a SMART Brick close to a SMART Tag, and suddenly the model springs to life. It reacts to every tilt and swoop with dynamic lights and sounds: take-off, flight, even a panicked alarm when flown upside down. Add a SMART Minifigure pilot and the geeky delight doubles, as the character audibly responds, turning simple movements into playful, cause-and-effect storytelling.

“For over 90 years, the LEGO Group has sparked imagination and creativity in children around the globe,” continues Julia Goldin. “As the world evolves, so do we — innovating to meet the play needs of each new generation.”

LEGO SMART Minifigure.

Launching officially in March 2026, the system debuts through three Star Wars sets. “With LEGO SMART Play, legendary stories and characters from a galaxy far, far away will come to life like never before.”

LEGO SMART Play System, Star Wars set.

Developed by the LEGO Group’s Creative Play Lab, the technology breathes responsive life into builders’ creations, with a smart brick quietly animating models through advanced, invisible innovation. Featuring more than 20 patented world-firsts, LEGO SMART Play™ will continue to expand through future updates and additions.