LEGO has unveiled a huge change to its iconic building bricks that bring your creations to life.
The popular Danish toy brand has launched Smart Bricks, marking the company’s biggest evolution in almost 50 years.
These new types of pieces look just like any other Lego brick except each one is packed with a special chip smaller than a single Lego stud.
Together with Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures, the hi-tech upgrade gives Lego creations a digital brain that enable them to react in playful ways with lights and sounds.
For example, making a helicopter with Smart Bricks could make it flash and emit a propeller noise when it senses that you’re whizzing the helicopter around in the air.
And it’s all achieved without any screens.
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Lego is releasing three Smart Play sets in March which are Star Wars themed.
This means things like weapons will react if you hold Luke Skywalker’s Red Five X-wing starfighter in the air.
“For over 90 years, the Lego Group has sparked imagination and creativity in children around the globe,” Lego’s Chief Product & Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin said.
“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.”
The Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing building set will contain 584-pieces, including two Smart Minifigures of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, as well as Luke’s trusty companion, R2-D2, and Rebel Crew and Stormtrooper Minifigures.
Meanwhile, there’s a Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter building set which comes with a Rebel Outpost, an Imperial Fueling Station, Smart Minifigures featuring Darth Vader and a Rebel Fleet Trooper.
The roar of the twin ion engines comes to life, among other interactive features.
Finally, there’s the Throne Room Duel & A-Wing building set to re-enact the final lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
It includes Smart Minifigures of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and Luke Skywalker (Jedi), as well as an A-Wing Fighter and Pilot Minifigure, two Royal Guard Minifigures, and a Smart Tag-enabled cannon turret to defend the Emperor’s Throne Room.
“With Lego Smart Play, legendary stories and characters of the Star Wars galaxy will come to life like never before.” said Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Lego.
The first Smart Brick enabled sets will be available to pre-order from January 9 ahead of release on March 1.
