On March 1st, 2026, The Lego Group will start selling something it has never sold before: a working computer that fits entirely inside a classic 2x4 Lego brick.
Lego calls it a Smart Brick. It looks like an ordinary brick. It locks into ordinary builds. But inside is a custom-made computer, smaller than a single Lego stud, designed to make Lego sets react to what kids actually do with them.
The launch lineup is all Lego Star Wars. The goal is simple to explain, even if the tech isn’t: when figures move, vehicles crash, or characters meet, the set responds with light, sound, and music in real time.
The Smart Brick detects nearby NFC-equipped smart tags hidden inside new Lego tiles and minifigures, as well as other Smart Bricks. When Luke steps into his X-Wing, the engine hum changes. When Darth Vader ignites his lightsaber, it glows and crackles. Place Emperor Palpatine on his throne, and The Imperial March plays without pressing a single button.
This works because the bricks form a Bluetooth mesh network. Each one is aware of the others’ position and orientation. Flip a Lego car upside down, and the engine noise turns into a crash. Race two vehicles, and the bricks can tell which one crossed the finish line first.
It’s a big leap from Lego Mario, which relied on cameras, barcodes, and bulky battery compartments. These bricks are wirelessly charged on a shared pad, and Lego says the battery will still perform after years of inactivity.
Inside each Smart Brick are light and sound outputs, light sensors, inertial sensors for movement and tilt, and even a microphone. That last part might raise eyebrows, but Lego says it’s not used for recording.
According to Lego spokesperson Jessica Benson, the microphone serves as a virtual button. Blow on the brick and something happens. Put it on a birthday cake, and it reacts. The sound never leaves the brick. It’s just another input, like shaking or turning.
There’s no camera at all, which means these sets don’t work with Lego Mario tiles. There’s also no AI. Everything is rule-based and runs locally on the brick. Firmware updates happen through a smartphone app.
The initial wave includes three Lego Star Wars sets, all shipping March 1st:
• **£59.99** – 473 pieces: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, with one Smart Brick, one TIE Fighter smart tag, and one Darth Vader smart figure
• **£79.99** – 584 pieces: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing, with one Smart Brick, five smart tags, and Luke and Leia smart figures
• **£139.99** – 962 pieces: Darth Vader’s Throne Room Duel & A-Wing, with two Smart Bricks, three smart figures (Luke, Vader, Emperor Palpatine), and five smart tags
Physically, these builds are smaller than the traditional minifig-scale Star Wars ships Lego has sold for years. That’s partly by design, and partly because the Smart Bricks add cost. You’re paying for electronics as well as plastic.
If this were just about replacing the pew-pew noises kids already make themselves, it wouldn’t be exciting. The more promising idea is how the system encourages remixing.
Lego spokesperson Jack Rankin says kids testing early versions had the most fun when things didn’t behave “correctly.” One smart tag made a duck quacking sound. Combine it with a helicopter set, and suddenly you have a duck helicopter. The system didn’t stop it. It leaned into it.
That flexibility matters. Because once the tech exists, it doesn’t have to stay in Star Wars.
Lego actually tested this idea quietly back in 2024 in a Lego City set. Now the company is being much louder, calling Smart Bricks “the most significant evolution in the Lego System-in-Play since the introduction of the Lego Minifigure in 1978.”
It’s hard to imagine they’ll stop with three Star Wars boxes. There are already unconfirmed rumours that upcoming LEGO Pokémon sets will use the same system.
For now, Lego is keeping expectations measured. “Lego Smart Play will continue to expand through new updates, launches and technology,” the company says.
But the direction is clear. Lego hasn’t turned its bricks into screens. It hasn’t replaced imagination with apps. Instead, it’s trying to make the bricks notice what kids are already doing — and respond.
If it works, the smartest thing about these Smart Bricks might be how easily they disappear into play.
Lego calls it a Smart Brick. It looks like an ordinary brick. It locks into ordinary builds. But inside is a custom-made computer, smaller than a single Lego stud, designed to make Lego sets react to what kids actually do with them.
The launch lineup is all Lego Star Wars. The goal is simple to explain, even if the tech isn’t: when figures move, vehicles crash, or characters meet, the set responds with light, sound, and music in real time.
A brick that knows what’s around it
The Smart Brick detects nearby NFC-equipped smart tags hidden inside new Lego tiles and minifigures, as well as other Smart Bricks. When Luke steps into his X-Wing, the engine hum changes. When Darth Vader ignites his lightsaber, it glows and crackles. Place Emperor Palpatine on his throne, and The Imperial March plays without pressing a single button.
This works because the bricks form a Bluetooth mesh network. Each one is aware of the others’ position and orientation. Flip a Lego car upside down, and the engine noise turns into a crash. Race two vehicles, and the bricks can tell which one crossed the finish line first.
It’s a big leap from Lego Mario, which relied on cameras, barcodes, and bulky battery compartments. These bricks are wirelessly charged on a shared pad, and Lego says the battery will still perform after years of inactivity.
Sensors everywhere, but no camera and no AI
Inside each Smart Brick are light and sound outputs, light sensors, inertial sensors for movement and tilt, and even a microphone. That last part might raise eyebrows, but Lego says it’s not used for recording.
According to Lego spokesperson Jessica Benson, the microphone serves as a virtual button. Blow on the brick and something happens. Put it on a birthday cake, and it reacts. The sound never leaves the brick. It’s just another input, like shaking or turning.
There’s no camera at all, which means these sets don’t work with Lego Mario tiles. There’s also no AI. Everything is rule-based and runs locally on the brick. Firmware updates happen through a smartphone app.
The first Smart Play sets
The initial wave includes three Lego Star Wars sets, all shipping March 1st:
• **£59.99** – 473 pieces: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, with one Smart Brick, one TIE Fighter smart tag, and one Darth Vader smart figure
• **£79.99** – 584 pieces: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing, with one Smart Brick, five smart tags, and Luke and Leia smart figures
• **£139.99** – 962 pieces: Darth Vader’s Throne Room Duel & A-Wing, with two Smart Bricks, three smart figures (Luke, Vader, Emperor Palpatine), and five smart tags
Physically, these builds are smaller than the traditional minifig-scale Star Wars ships Lego has sold for years. That’s partly by design, and partly because the Smart Bricks add cost. You’re paying for electronics as well as plastic.
More than sound effects
If this were just about replacing the pew-pew noises kids already make themselves, it wouldn’t be exciting. The more promising idea is how the system encourages remixing.
Lego spokesperson Jack Rankin says kids testing early versions had the most fun when things didn’t behave “correctly.” One smart tag made a duck quacking sound. Combine it with a helicopter set, and suddenly you have a duck helicopter. The system didn’t stop it. It leaned into it.
That flexibility matters. Because once the tech exists, it doesn’t have to stay in Star Wars.
A quiet test, then a big claim
Lego actually tested this idea quietly back in 2024 in a Lego City set. Now the company is being much louder, calling Smart Bricks “the most significant evolution in the Lego System-in-Play since the introduction of the Lego Minifigure in 1978.”
It’s hard to imagine they’ll stop with three Star Wars boxes. There are already unconfirmed rumours that upcoming LEGO Pokémon sets will use the same system.
For now, Lego is keeping expectations measured. “Lego Smart Play will continue to expand through new updates, launches and technology,” the company says.
But the direction is clear. Lego hasn’t turned its bricks into screens. It hasn’t replaced imagination with apps. Instead, it’s trying to make the bricks notice what kids are already doing — and respond.
If it works, the smartest thing about these Smart Bricks might be how easily they disappear into play.