Lego unveils a technology-packed Smart Brick at CES 2026

Lego bricks travel successful a ridiculously immense array of sizes and shapes, but nan institution is unveiling an wholly caller return connected its classical style astatine CES 2026. Meet nan Lego Smart Brick, a standard-sized 2 x 4 ceramic that’s packed pinch modern exertion to alteration sets that tin respond to really they’re played pinch aliases nan sets you build. It’s portion of a new inaugural called Smart Play, which encompasses nan Smart Brick arsenic good arsenic Smart Minifigures and Smart Tags. While we evidently don’t cognize yet really Lego fans will return to this caller system, it’s still adjacent to opportunity it’s nan biggest move Lego has each made to infuse its products pinch connected technology.

The Smart Brick has a 4.1mm ASIC spot wrong of it that Lego says is smaller than a modular Lego stud. It runs thing called nan Play Engine that tin consciousness things for illustration motion, predisposition and magnetic fields. Thanks to this and immoderate integrated copper coils, nan Smart Brick tin consciousness distance, guidance and predisposition of different Smart Bricks adjacent it erstwhile you’re building. The ceramic besides has a mini built-in speaker, an accelerometer and an LED array. Lego says nan speaker tin nutrient audio that is “tied to unrecorded play actions” alternatively than conscionable playing pre-recorded clips.

The Smart Tag and Smart Minifigures are a batch simpler. The Tag is simply a 2 x 2 studless tile pinch a integer ID embedded successful it that nan Smart Brick tin publication via “near-field magnetic communication.” This evidently sounds a batch for illustration NFC, but we can’t beryllium judge that these caller Lego pieces will beryllium capable to pass pinch immoderate different NFC devices. Similarly, nan Smart Minifigure besides has a integer ID readable by NFC.

The intent of nan Smart Tag arsenic good arsenic nan akin tech successful a Smart Minifigure is to fto nan Smart Brick cognize what benignant of discourse it is being utilized in. As Lego puts it, “The domiciled of nan Smart Tag is to show nan Smart Brick really it should play backmost pinch you.” The Tag tells nan Brick what benignant of object, animal, conveyance and truthful distant it should become. A Smart Tag successful a Lego Star Wars X-Wing set, for example, will incorporate nan unsocial ID and instructions for really nan Smart Brick should behave.

If this isn’t enough, Lego has besides built a section wireless furniture that connects this each together called BrickNet. It’s based connected Bluetooth and uses Lego’s proprietary “Neighbor Position Measurement" system, which is what lets nan Smart Bricks cognize really adjacent they are to each different and really they’re oriented. Lego says that this lets nan bricks “talk” to each different straight without nan request for apps, net connections aliases outer controls. It sounds for illustration nan thought is each 3 of these caller Smart pieces tin pass and interact without immoderate request for setup, which should make it refreshingly for illustration a accepted Lego set.

That said, these bricks people will request immoderate power. Lego says that their batteries should still execute moreover aft “years” of inactivity, and nan coils and powerfulness strategy is designed truthful that aggregate bricks tin beryllium charged wirelessly connected a shared charging pad.

Speaking of sets, Lego is unsurprisingly launching nan Smart Play strategy pinch its biggest licensed partner: Star Wars. There will beryllium 3 “all-in-one” Star Wars sets available; those sets will see a Smart Brick and charger arsenic good arsenic astatine slightest 1 Smart Tag and Smart Minifigure. Judging from nan property images Lego shared, these sets are connected nan smaller broadside and decidedly geared towards kids, alternatively than nan 1,000 portion and up sets that nan institution has released to get adults (like me) interested.

It’s an wholly caller guidance for Lego, and you won’t person to hold agelong to cheque it out. The institution is putting those 3 sets up for pre-order connected January 9, and they’ll motorboat connected March 1. No pricing info is disposable yet, but we’ll get that info successful a fewer days erstwhile they spell up connected pre-order. There’s evidently a batch of exertion present that’s wholly caller to Lego, and arsenic specified it’s difficult to ideate conscionable really this will each look erstwhile it comes together — but we’re hoping that Lego will person immoderate sets connected manus present astatine CES truthful we tin get a person look astatine really nan Smart Play strategy works.

In nan meantime, you tin find a fewer videos connected really Smart Play useful here.