Lego is finally moving into the 21st century by introducing its very first ‘smart brick’ – its first major new design in 50 years.
The new bricks have miniscule micro chips inside them – smaller than a Lego stud – that power a range of sensors that react to children’s movements in real-time.
It means the bricks light up and makes sounds as kids play with them – bringing their ‘creations to life’, the Danish company said.
Unveiled today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Lego said its new Smart Play system was the ‘most significant evolution’ in its history in 50 years.
Over 400 million people are said to have played with Lego bricks at one stage of their life, with children spending an estimated five billion hours a year playing with them.
The first smart bricks will be part of Lego’s Star Wars building sets and will be launched on March 1 this year.
Lego has also announced smart tags and smart minifigures alongside the bricks, which all have a tiny custom-made chip measuring just four millimetres inside.
They will be able to interpret the child’s ‘motion, orientation, and magnetic fields in real time’, with each brick able to sense where it is in relation to other bricks.
The new Lego ‘smart brick’ (pictured) will have a miniscule microchip inside that powers sensors which react to children’s movements in real time
Asad Ayaz (left) and Dave Filioni (right) on stage with a Chewbacca during a Lego news conference in Las Vegas today. The first smart bricks will be part of Lego’s Star Wars building sets and will be launched on March 1 this year
Each will also have an onboard synthesiser to produce real-time audio that will change as the child tilts and moves it around.
LED lights on the brick will also light up depending on the movement of the brick providing ‘dynamic visual feedback’, the company said.
Lego appeared to suggest it was aiming to create a more ‘interactive’ version of the toy that would be stimulating enough for children and keep them away from screens.
Lego was invented by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen as a wooden block in 1932, but it only became plastic and began to interlock with others in 1949.
The modern children’s classic finally came to market in 1958, when Kristiansen’s son, Godtfred, created the hollow tubes underneath the brick for better grip.
However, the most recent major change was as far back 1978 – when the mini figures were introduced.
Tom Donaldson, Senior Vice President & Head of Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group said: ‘The launch of LEGO SMART Play™ brings creativity, technology, and storytelling together to make building worlds and stories even more engaging, and all without a screen.
‘We truly believe we are setting a new standard for interactive, imaginative experiences and can’t wait to see this innovation in the hands of kids when we launch this year.’
The new Lego smart bricks are held during a demonstration at the Vegas conference. They contain microchips smaller than a Lego stud
Lego’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer on stage in front of advertisements of the new Lego kits. Ms Goldin said: ‘LEGO SMART Play™ is the next exciting chapter in our LEGO System in Play and something we are super excited about being able to bring to the world at this scale’
Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group, said: ‘For over 90 years, the LEGO Group has sparked imagination and creativity in children around the globe.
‘As the world evolves, so do we— innovating to meet the play needs of each new generation.
‘LEGO SMART Play™ is the next exciting chapter in our LEGO System in Play and something we are super excited about being able to bring to the world at this scale.’