(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
LAS VEGAS—Lego’s newest Luke Skywalker mini figurine can make lightsaber sound effects all on its own. The Lego Group is making its CES debut by launching a new lineup of toys called Lego Smart Play. The main piece is the Lego Smart Brick, which has a variety of sensors and can change colors and emit sound effects to match the play scenario. A Lego Smart Tag snaps onto it and provides the code, and both interact with new Lego Smart Mini Figurines.
To help launch the lineup, Lego is adding to its Star Wars collection with new smart sets that will debut in March. The sets include an X-Wing set with a Luke figurine, a TIE fighter set with Darth Vader, and a Throne Room set where the two can have a lightsaber duel.
Even outside the Star Wars universe, Lego’s press demo showed the Smart Brick used in a variety of games and demos. Two bricks changed color to match a nearby board, or based on how close they were to each other. They emitted swooping and crashing sound effects when attached to a plane and car figurine. Smart figures let out a comical cry when a car crashed into them.
The bricks themselves will have sound, light, color, and distance sensors. They look like ordinary rectangular Lego bricks— clear when turned off, and displaying a variety of colors when turned on, depending on the scenario. The Smart Tags are small rectangles that plug into the middle of the bricks. You then shake the brick to wake it up. It wasn't clear from the demo whether you'll need a different Smart Tag for each scenario, such as plane sounds and animal sounds.
Recommended by Our Editors
The possibilities of the bricks did seem cool. The location sensing allowed the presenters to play a game with kids, and the bricks changed the colors of participating cars based on which one was rolled closest to a target.
The Smart Tags could be the main limiting factor. When I was a kid, I was pretty adept at making the lightsaber sound effects myself while dueling against Vader. The company also didn’t specify pricing or how often you'll need to recharge the various pieces. Still, the goal of increased immersion seems within reach, and Lego wants to integrate technology into its toys in a way that enhances physical play away from screens while being intuitive to use.
We’ll aim to try out these toys in our offices and in a galaxy far, far away once they’re released. In the meantime, check out all the rest of the cool tech we’ve seen at CES.