CES 2026: LEGO brings bricks to life with Smart Play tech

The LEGO Group debuted its newest interactive innovation, LEGO SMART Play, at CES 2026, which allows physical builds to respond to play in real-time. The system is anchored by the LEGO SMART Brick, a standard brick packed with advanced sensors, accelerometers, and a miniature speaker powered by an onboard synthesizer. This "invisible" technology enables builds to "play back" by reacting to movement and touch with context-specific sounds and light effects—all without the need for a screen or smartphone app.

The platform also introduces SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures, which contain unique digital IDs that the SMART Brick recognizes via magnetic coupling. When a character like Luke Skywalker is placed near a SMART-enabled starship, the system can trigger iconic sound effects, such as lightsaber hums or engine roars.

Designed to be fully compatible with the existing LEGO System-in-Play, the technology uses a proprietary BrickNet Bluetooth protocol to let multiple bricks communicate, allowing creations to recognize each other's distance and orientation in 3D space.

LEGO SMART Play is scheduled for a primary launch on March 1, debuting with three "All-In-One" LEGO Star Wars sets. These initial offerings—including Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter and Luke’s X-Wing—will feature the SMART Brick, a wireless charging pad, and interactive figures.

SOURCE | VIA