Lego announces new “Smart Bricks” play system

Lego’s new Smart Play system has added interactive Lego blocks to the well-known analog franchise. The new system makes use of smart bricks, smart tag tiles and smart minifigures which interact with each other to create a more life-like style of play.

The smart bricks are powered by an ASIC chip which uses near-field magnetic positioning to recognize nearby tags, and includes a miniature speaker, accelerometer and LED array. In addition to the smart bricks, Lego has developed Brick Net, a Bluetooth-based connectivity system that allows smart bricks to operate in tandem.

For example, if a Smart Tag comes in a set for building a helicopter, the Smart Brick will make helicopter sounds and the accelerometer will make the lights and sounds consistent with movement, reflecting when the helicopter is flying, turning upside down or coming to a stop.

The first iteration of Lego’s Smart Play set will be Star Wars themed sets that animate characters like Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, allowing them to interact with other smart bricks and emulate Lightsaber duels, among other Star Wars related features.