Lego has unveiled a new interactive building system that blends physical play with embedded digital responses, announcing its Smart Play platform at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The Smart Play system adds responsive elements to traditional Lego sets through a combination of Smart Bricks, Smart Tags, and Smart Minifigures. The company said the system is designed to enhance play without relying on screens, keeping the experience rooted in physical building while introducing sound, light, and motion-based feedback.
At the core of the system is a modified 2×4 Smart Brick and Smart Minifigures that can detect nearby Smart Tags. The Smart Tags are 2×2 studless tiles, each embedded with a unique digital identifier that signals how the Brick or Minifigure should behave in a given build.
In a helicopter-themed example shown by Lego, placing a Smart Tag into the model triggers the Smart Brick to light up and produce propeller sounds. A built-in accelerometer allows the Brick to adjust those effects based on how the model is being moved, responding differently when it is flying level, tilted, or turned upside down.
The Smart Bricks are powered by a custom application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC, which Lego said is smaller than a single Lego stud. The chip uses near-field magnetic positioning to detect Smart Tags and integrates a miniature speaker, an accelerometer, and an LED array.
Lego also introduced a Bluetooth-based communication protocol called BrickNet, which allows multiple Smart Bricks to recognize one another and operate together. According to the company, BrickNet includes enhanced encryption and privacy protections to prevent unauthorized access or interference.
The Smart Play system does not require pairing or setup, allowing children to use the components immediately once they are placed into a build. Lego said the system does not involve screens, a design choice intended to keep the focus on hands-on play. Product documentation on Lego’s website notes that Smart Tags will also be used for animating everyday objects within sets, including toilets.
The first Smart Play sets will launch on March 1, with preorders opening later this week. Both initial releases are themed around Star Wars.
The “Luke’s Red Five X-wing” set will retail for $69.99, while the larger “Throne Room Duel and A-wing” set will be priced at $159.99. Lego said the Smart Play system in these sets allows characters such as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to interact with Smart Tags, enabling features like Lightsaber duels and other Star Wars-themed actions.
Lego did not disclose how widely the Smart Play system will be rolled out beyond the initial Star Wars releases.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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