LEGO unveiled its groundbreaking Smart Play system at CES on Monday, bringing interactive and responsive elements to its famously analog building franchise. This new system aims to revolutionize how children engage with LEGO sets by integrating smart technology directly into the bricks, offering a dynamic play experience without the need for screens.
How Smart Play Works
The Smart Play system comprises 2x4 Smart Bricks, Smart Tag tiles, and Smart Minifigures. These Smart Bricks and Minifigures are equipped to sense nearby Smart Tags, which are 2x2 studless tiles containing unique digital IDs. These IDs dictate how the Smart Bricks and Minifigures should behave, triggering specific sounds or light patterns.
For instance, if a Smart Tag is part of a helicopter building set, the Smart Brick will illuminate and emit realistic propeller sounds, enhancing the play experience. An integrated accelerometer further refines this interaction, ensuring lights and sounds are consistent with how the helicopter is being played with—whether it's soaring through the sky or inverted.
Under the Hood: Patented Technology
At the heart of the Smart Bricks is a patented ASIC chip, remarkably smaller than a single LEGO stud. This advanced chip utilizes near-field magnetic positioning to detect surrounding Smart Tags. Each Smart Brick also incorporates a miniature speaker, an accelerometer, and an LED array to deliver its interactive features.
LEGO has also developed a proprietary Bluetooth-based communication protocol called BrickNet. This technology enables multiple Smart Bricks to recognize each other and operate in tandem, creating more complex and collaborative play scenarios. The company emphasizes that BrickNet is secured with enhanced encryption and robust privacy controls.
Screen-Free Fun and Launch Details
One of the most appealing aspects of the Smart Play system is its simplicity and screen-free design. There's no complicated setup or pairing required, allowing children to dive straight into play. Parents will appreciate the absence of digital screens, promoting a more traditional yet enhanced building experience. Curiously, LEGO’s website also hints at a Smart Tag for animating LEGO toilets, adding a touch of humor to the new system.
The first two Smart Play sets, both themed around Star Wars, are set to launch on March 1, with preorders opening this Friday. The “Luke’s Red Five X-wing” building set will retail for $69.99, while the larger “Throne Room Duel and A-wing” set will be priced at $159.99. These sets leverage the Smart Play system to animate iconic characters like Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, facilitating interactive elements such as Lightsaber duels and other Star Wars-specific capabilities.
