LEGO SMART Play system brings your builds to life thanks to tech-packed bricks

LEGO has been a best seller for decades, and part of the secret of its success is a willingness to evolve and embrace new technology. The latest innovation from the company is the LEGO SMART Play system which sees the humble LEGO brick reborn as LEGO SMART Bricks which are crammed with ground-breaking technology.

In short, the system allows for the creation of interactive builds, using chips, tags and sensors to trigger sounds, lights and more. Sets based on the system will be available in a couple of months, and things kick off with a Star Wars theme.

LEGO is launching what it describes as “one of the most significant evolutions in the LEGO System-in-Play since the introduction of the LEGO Minifigure in 1978”. The first sets will be available on March 1 (but pre-orders start January 9), and LEGO explains SMART Play saying:

The new platform features more than twenty patented world-firsts within its technology, and the LEGO SMART Brick – at the heart of the platform – is powered by a custom-made chip, measuring smaller than a standard LEGO stud.

The technology has been developed by the LEGO Group’s Creative Play Lab team to enable responsive physical play, breathing new life into builder’s LEGO creations through advanced, invisible technology.

The LEGO SMART Brick is packed with technologies that bring play to life including sensors, accelerometers, light sensing and a sound sensor as well as a miniature speaker driven by an onboard synthesiser, and much more, in addition to easy wireless charging.

LEGO SMART Tags and LEGO SMART Minifigures are paired with the LEGO SMART Brick to power the system and allow builders’ creations to become interactive, responding to actions with appropriate sounds and behaviours, allowing for a truly responsive play experience. All elements are compatible with the existing LEGO System-in-Play.

If you want to get an idea of what the system is all about, take a look at this introductory video:

For now, there are three Star Wars sets due for release:

LEGO Star Wars SMART Play Luke’s Red Five X-Wing building set
A 584-piece set, including two SMART Minifigures (Luke Skywalker, in his iconic pilot suit, and Princess Leia), as well as Luke’s trusty companion, R2-D2, and Rebel Crew and Stormtrooper Minifigures.

This set includes an Imperial turret, transporter and command center, all of which unlock interactive features, such as laser-shooting sounds, engine sounds and lights plus refueling and repair sounds, through the use of the included LEGO SMART Brick, two LEGO SMART Minifigures and five LEGO SMART Tags.

LEGO Star Wars SMART Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter building set

One of the galaxy’s most iconic villains and his fighter ship arrives as part of LEGO SMART Play, allowing fans to replay and re-define the most epic battles on behalf of the Galactic Empire.

This 473-piece set features a brick-built Rebel Outpost and an Imperial Fueling Station, as well as a SMART Minifigure featuring Darth Vader and a Rebel Fleet Trooper Minifigure. The roar of the twin ion engines comes to life, among other interactive features, with the LEGO SMART Brick.

LEGO Star Wars SMART Play: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing building set

Fans will be able to re-enact and re-imagine one of the most memorable moments from the original Star Wars trilogy, the final lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader at the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The 962-piece set comes with three SMART Minifigures featuring the characters Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and Luke Skywalker (Jedi).

Additionally, the set comes with a brick-built A-Wing Fighter and Pilot Minifigure, two Royal Guard Minifigures, and a SMART Tag-enabled cannon turret to defend the Emperor’s Throne Room.

For the first time in the history of LEGO Star Wars, with LEGO SMART Play sets, the battle comes to life, allowing fans to recreate iconic scenes and interactions, as well as create new ones. Fans can unlock SMART features such as Lightsaber hums with the SMART Minifigures of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, the engine roar of the A-wing and even listen to “The Imperial March” with Emperor Palpatine sitting on his throne.

More details are available here.