Lego unveils ‘smart bricks’ with sound and light effects in Star Wars sets

What happened: Lego has introduced smart bricks that produce sounds and light effects in select Star Wars sets.

Why it matters now: The innovation merges traditional Lego building with interactive tech, responding to children’s growing engagement with screens and digital games.

What changes for people: Kids and collectors can now experience dynamic play, where starships respond with sounds, music, and lights as they interact.

Who is affected: Lego fans, Star Wars enthusiasts, parents, and the toy industry.

Lego is redefining playtime with the launch of smart bricks, miniature interactive pieces that add sound, light, and responsive effects to classic Star Wars Lego sets. Revealed at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the new technology allows starships and droids to react in real time, creating immersive battles without the need for screens.

How smart bricks work

Each brick contains a custom chip smaller than a Lego stud, enabling sounds such as R2-D2 bleeps, lightsaber swooshes, and even The Imperial March during battles. When two smart bricks are installed—for example, in Luke Skywalker’s X-wing and Darth Vader’s TIE fighter—they communicate to track hits, play music, and illuminate corresponding lights.

Key fact: The bricks integrate interactive storytelling into physical Lego play, blending imagination with technology.

Major outcome: Traditional Lego construction is now enhanced with real-time sound and light interaction, bringing sets to life.

Pricing and reception

Luke Skywalker’s X-wing with smart figure: £79.99

Darth Vader’s TIE fighter: £59.99

While some experts and fans worry that tech integration may reduce imaginative play, Lego executives insist that smart bricks enhance creativity without screens. Julia Goldin, Executive VP at Lego, emphasized that the system “brings creativity, technology and storytelling together to make building worlds and stories even more engaging.”