Since 1934, LEGO bricks have remained fundamentally the same plastic building blocks. Now, the company has announced an interesting new upgrade, Smart technology. The toy manufacturer will be releasing a new Smart Play system with parts that can make sounds, light up, detect motion, and even sense what characters and builds it is being used in.
Smart Play System
The patented sensors on the new Smart Play system include Smart Bricks that can connect to compatible Smart Minifigures or Smart Tags. This lets users create environment-appropriate sound effects.
LEGO demonstrated some of this new technology using a toy car. The Smart Brick made sounds that mimicked each turn this car made, as well as a crash. However, the creators warn that the Car Minifigures should never hit the People Minifigures since they really do not like it and get pretty vocal about it.
Currently, LEGO plans to launch a LEGO Star Wars Smart Play Luke’s Red Five X-Wing 584-piece building set on March 1st. This set will feature two Smart minifigs of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. It will also include five Smart Tags that make laser-shooting, refueling, engine, and repair sounds, with accompanying light effects.
And for creators who like to leave their builds together, LEGO claims that the internal battery will still work after years of inactivity. The company has even included wireless charging and a pad that can power up several bricks at once. So there is no need to worry about building with cable accessibility in mind.
There are some concerns about a historically analog toy getting 21st-century technology, mainly a fear of encouraging more screen time for kids. Thankfully, LEGO designed this product to work within itself, eliminating the need for screens and apps to use it!
Preorders for LEGO’s Smart Play System go live on January 8th. You can learn more about reserving your system here.
