CES 2026: LEGO introduces Smart Bricks that react, glow, and play sounds

Lego's new Smart Bricks will first appear in three all-in-one Star Wars sets, each with a varying number of pieces ranging from 473 to 962, (Image Source: Lego)

LEGO isn’t a brand you normally associate with CES, but this year the toy maker managed to steal some spotlight. At the CES 2026, the company unveiled Smart Bricks, a new version of its building blocks that houses electronic components. In a post, Lego said that the new system is powered by Lego Smart Play, an interactive platform that brings “creations to life.” The system includes 2×4 bricks, Smart Tag tiles and Smart minifigures.

Developed by the Lego Group’s Creative Play Team, the company says Smart Bricks are powered by a custom 4.1mm ASIC with integrated sensors, RGB lights, radio stack and an integrated speaker system with an onboard synthesiser. All of this is powered by an internal rechargeable battery that charges wirelessly using an electromagnetic field, meaning it will get power even if used inside a Lego set.

When connected to Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures, the company claims Smart Bricks enables creations to “become interactive, responding to actions with appropriate sounds and behaviours”.

For example, a birthday cake made using these Lego components was able to recognise when its candles were blown by responding with a cheer and a happy birthday song. At CES 2026, Lego also showcased a helicopter that made whooshing sounds when it was moved or the wings rotated, and the Smart Bricks glowing red when it crashes.

To make this work, the company is reportedly using a near-magnetic field sensing system that can read bricks via copper coils. These coils can even detect the distance between each other and are responsible for making other bricks aware of their position relative to one another. As for audio, Lego says the Smart Brick system is able to generate sounds in real-time based on information from Smart Minifigures and Smart Tags.

Lego’s new Smart Bricks will first appear in three all-in-one Star Wars sets, each with a varying number of pieces ranging from 473 to 962, and will be priced from $70 to $160. These Star Wars-themed Lego sets will feature last shooting and engine sounds, lightsaber hums, in addition to lights. The company has also made it clear that these sets won’t have any camera, voice recording functionality, or cloud features. Instead of an always-connected system, the system will get firmware updates using a companion app.

The Lego Smart play all-in-one sets from Star Wars will be available for pre-order starting January 9 and go on sale starting March 1 in select retail stores and official website.