Lego Unveils Smart Play Platform and Star Wars Sets Featuring Interactive ‘Smart Brick’ at CES 2026
Danish toymaker Lego has introduced a new interactive Smart Play platform powered by its innovative “Smart Brick” technology, debuting the feature alongside a new line of Star Wars sets at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The development marks one of Lego’s most ambitious steps into blending traditional building play with digital interactivity.
Smart Brick Adds Technology to Traditional Play
The Smart Brick, designed to resemble a regular Lego brick, can be seamlessly integrated into existing sets. However, unlike standard bricks, it features advanced sensors, accelerometers, light detection, sound sensing, and a built-in microphone, allowing it to interact with other Smart Bricks and tags. The brick can detect motion, orientation and proximity, triggering sounds or responses that expand creative play possibilities.
“What it gives us an opportunity to do is to bring completely new dimensions to the Lego sets and Lego play,” said Julia Goldin, Lego’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer. “Whether it’s sound responsiveness, reactiveness, things being able to interact with each other, but also an opportunity for tremendous social play.”
Lego executives described the Smart Brick as a game-changer for creativity and interaction. “To be honest, it’s bordering nuts,” said Tom Donaldson, Senior Vice President and Head of Creative Play Lab. “There’s a lot of different things in the Smart Brick — a battery, a speaker, a printed circuit board. Beyond that, we’re going to keep some of the details fairly secret.”
Smart Minifigures and Star Wars Collaboration
The launch also includes Smart Minifigures, which can interact with other Smart Bricks to unlock new reactions and secret minigames, according to a company statement.
In partnership with The Walt Disney Company, Lego revealed a new range of Star Wars sets featuring characters, vehicles and iconic scenes enhanced by Smart Brick functionality. The Smart Brick Star Wars collection is set for release on 1 March in select markets.
Divya Dalal, Vice President of Global Hardlines for Disney Consumer Products, said the innovation builds on Lego’s traditional appeal while adding a layer of safe, technology-driven play. “We didn’t have to go all the way in with tech,” she said. “We just had to take the essence of innovation and give traditional playsets another level — keeping them creative, imaginative and fun.”
A New Era of Creative Technology for Lego
The Smart Play platform marks a significant milestone for Lego as it continues to merge physical and digital play experiences without compromising its hands-on ethos. By adding technology that complements — rather than replaces — traditional play, the company aims to appeal to a new generation of tech-savvy builders.
CES 2026, one of the world’s largest technology showcases, runs from 6 to 9 January in Las Vegas, featuring innovations across robotics, consumer tech and artificial intelligence.
with inputs from Reuters
