The launch of the LEGO Group's SMART Play at CES brought with it a wealth of videos, photos and reactions – but you might have missed these facts.
Since the official reveal of the LEGO SMART Play system and the three initial LEGO Star Wars sets featuring the SMART Brick, there's been a flow of videos of the new elements in action, as well as a wealth of reactions to the new brick-based technology. Now that the dust has somewhat settled on the reveal, we've picked out some of the interesting facts from the SMART Brick's journey so far that might have flown under the radar.
The SMART Brick has been a long time coming
We might all only be hearing about the SMART Brick and seeing how it works in sets now, but this is far from a recent discovery at the LEGO Group. The start of its journey goes all the way back to 2017, when the company first started looking into what kids wanted from their toys.
Research found that children wanted a toy that they could play with their friends, a toy that showed their actions mattered and responded to them, and an experience that evolved over time as they played.
To tick those three major boxes, the LEGO Group decided that it 'needed a team that was ready to take what already made LEGO play great and then pioneer new innovations to take it into a new dimension', as stated in a press release from the toy company.
This was the first step down the path to SMART Play that would lead to its release in 2026, a journey spanning almost a decade.
A conscious step away from screens
The early stages of developing SMART Play involved using camera to trigger reactions like light and sound. However, it was felt that requiring a smartphone or other device would take the attention away from LEGO sets and the physical play experience.
Indeed, what many LEGO builders of all ages prefer about LEGO sets is that it doesn't involve a screen at all – something that's increasingly hard to do in the modern era.
Hundreds of prototypes paved the way
The LEGO Group has stated that it made hundreds of play prototypes over several months of exploration into what interactivity can mean in the LEGO system. As time went on, the priorities became clear as needing something that functions well and adds something new to the play experience, while not feeling so technical that it interrupts the traditional experience of building and engaging with LEGO.
All of that had to be shrunk down into something that could fit within the traditional 2x4 brick as well. This required not just adapting existing technology but creating a whole new positioning system.
The SMART Play elements charge using a coil, much like those found in an electric toothbrush, so there's no need for wires. This coil can then also be used for positioning via SMART Tags, so SMART Bricks know where they are in relation to one another.
That allows for interactive features like combat between minifigures and specific sounds when certain bricks are close to one another, like a minifigure making a noise when hit by a LEGO car, for example.
With all this new technology, the LEGO Group also made an entirely new silicon ASIC chip, one that is smaller than the average LEGO stud and specialised to the SMART Play requirements. On the day it was delivered at 1pm, the LEGO Group team wanted to work on it for a couple of hours – but ended up staying until 2am to put together a fully assembled brick with working audio.
SMART Play almost never happened
Despite all these technical advancements, the SMART Brick still almost didn't see the light of day. After two years of work without signs of success, the LEGO Group set a deadline for when this line of exploration would need to be abandoned.
That deadline passed, and the SMART Play system was almost scrapped. However, the team wanted to try out one more tweak – which proved to be the exact change that was needed to get the positioning system to work.
Multiple sounds, one core base
Once the base technology was in the works, the details could be fleshed out. The initial videos of the SMART Play system in use show various different sounds, from music and combat sounds to characters from LEGO Star Wars speaking. While there are a lot of different sounds available, the noises are made by whittling them down to a library of very basic sounds.
Depending on how the SMART Brick is moved or positioned, those core sounds are then adjusted in terms of frequencies and amplitude to create the wealth of music and noise that you hear when interacting with the sets.
LEGO Star Wars was familiar territory
As noted above, the first three sets revealed with the SMART Brick in use are part of the LEGO Star Wars theme. The LEGO Group has confirmed that the reason it chose LEGO Star Wars was that kids don't need an introduction to the franchise.
The characters, locations, and ships are so recognisable and familiar to most that they can get stuck in with the new features of the SMART Play system, distraction-free.
That perhaps also explains why the trio of LEGO Star Wars sets returns to tried-and-tested ground, with an A-Wing, a TIE Fighter, and an X-Wing being very common inspiration for LEGO sets over the years.
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