LEGO® SMART Play™ Features: Tips and Tricks

Welcome to the LEGO® SMART Brick master class (no tuition required).
Raise your hand if you’re looking for tips and tricks for how to get started with your LEGO SMART Brick! (Okay, so you know we can’t see your hand, right? *wink, wink*) But since you’re here, we’re guessing you’re searching for some SMART Play™ answers? You’ve come to exactly the right place!

The SMART Play System is bursting with mind-bending tech: loads of patents and features so innovative, they genuinely feel straight out of the future. With so much to explore, it may seem a little overwhelming at first, especially for busy people… But don’t worry! The most important thing to know is that this mind-twisting tech is fun! It powers kids’ creativity from the very first moment they start interacting with it.

During this master class, we’ll take you through eight essential (but quick) lessons, each covering a key feature of the SMART Brick, so you can help kickstart your kids’ SMART Brick journey and take their play to a whole new level.

The LEGO SMART Brick master class is in session. Let’s get started!

The SMART Play™ System

Before we begin the eight lessons, let’s quickly revisit the SMART Play pieces:

SMART Brick: A 2x4 LEGO brick that recognizes SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures. It also has a built-in accelerometer that knows how it’s being moved through the air! How awesome is that?!

SMART Tag: Just as you thought it couldn’t get any cooler, the SMART Tags come into the picture. These clever little tiles tell the SMART Brick what to become, how to behave, and literally make it play back.

SMART Minifigures: Like the minifigures you already know and love, just… erm… smarter. Place them next to a SMART Brick, and you’ll discover how each SMART Minifigure reacts differently to its environment with unique sounds, moods and reactions. So basically, minifigures with big personalities.

1. Motion Sensor

2. Dynamic Sound

If you and your child have just gotten your hands on a SMART Brick, you’ve likely noticed the incredible range of sounds it can make. These sounds turn play into an interactive sound adventure, expanding the creativity and endless possibilities of LEGO play! Inside the SMART Brick is a tiny dynamic sound audio-play engine that responds to your child’s every move, creating unique, real-time sounds that make their creations feel like they’ve come to life. Imagine engines that roar as your child speeds up their creations, animals that purr when they pet them, or fires that crackle when they blow on them. The possibilities are endless! Just like LEGO bricks, each sound element can be combined to create endless imaginative experiences. It’s a new way for your child to invent and co-create evolving audio-driven stories, inspiring exploration and critical thinking through play.

3. Color Sensor

4. SMART Tag Sensor

The SMART Brick also contains a sensor that can detect any nearby SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures. The SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures tell the SMART Brick what it should become and how it should behave as it plays back with your child. The 2x2 SMART Tags seamlessly click with SMART Play All-In-One sets, SMART Play Compatible sets, and all your child’s existing LEGO sets and bricks they already have at home. Yes, you read that right, your child can take SMART Tags and a SMART Brick, place them onto any build imaginable, and watch them transform completely. Take a helicopter SMART Tag, for instance, click it onto the SMART Brick and place it onto a house, and suddenly, they’ve got a flying house! The SMART Minifigures work similarly. In a car model, for example, the SMART Brick might detect who’s driving and the passengers on the backseat, but it also recognizes if someone’s standing on the hood, or, if things get a little too chaotic, who’s under the wheels! The SMART Tag sensors unlock a whole new level of interactivity and imagination within every build for your child to enjoy.

5. Dynamic Lights

The SMART Bricks literally light up playtime! With every move, the SMART Brick responds with unique light reactions that match the SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures your child pairs it with. For example, if a SMART Tag is related to brick-made water, the SMART Brick glows a cool blue. Attach it to a police car, and you’ll see those classic blue-and-red lights flash to life. 

The SMART Brick uses colored lights even when placed on the SMART Charger, green, yellow, orange or red to indicate its battery status, making all interaction both fun and informative!

6. Wireless Charging

Charging the SMART Brick is so simple. Have more than one? No problem, two SMART Bricks can be placed simultaneously on the SMART Charger, and the SMART Bricks will charge through a wireless coil system (just like the one you know from your electric toothbrush at home). When done playing, remember to place the SMART Bricks on the SMART Charger. In that way, they’re always powered up for more play – plus, your child (and you) will always know exactly where to find them!

If you thought the SMART Charger was ‘just’ a mere charger... think again. Our fun build activities for kids can turn it into a part of their beautiful LEGO world by transforming it into a brick-built docking station prop like a fine pirate’s chest, a doghouse with wagging-tailed friends, a magical book in a fairytale land, or a warm, comfy bed where the SMART Bricks can catch some well-deserved Zzzzs after a big day of play.

Two more features, ready and waiting
(Available with upcoming LEGO® SMART Play sets)

Alright, we’ve reached the last two lessons of the day – and they’re a great ones! Through future software updates, many new play possibilities could be brought to your SMART Bricks. You can manage all those software updates – and keep an eye on the status of your LEGO SMART Play System, with our LEGO SMART Assist app. It’s a companion app for grown-ups to allow kids to focus on the SMART Play fun! Let’s have a look at two of the features that are ready and waiting, shall we...

7. Range Sensor

With the built-in range sensor, the SMART Bricks can detect any other nearby SMART Bricks – not only sensing how far apart they are, but also which direction they’re facing, all without any external beacons. Put simply, your child’s SMART Bricks know their place in space.
This means your child’s LEGO car builds can chase each other and know exactly when the police car catches up to the robber. A dog can sense a cat nearby and light up, wag its tail, or even bark. Race cars will know which car is in the lead, making playtime even more exciting and thrilling. 

With two SMART Bricks, the possibilities multiply. Sync them for team play, set up head-to-head battles, or create immersive stereo sound. Advanced motion sensing will unlock interactive games, where your kid’s creations can react in real-time.

8. Sound Sensor

The SMART Brick can also detect sound pressures through a teeny-tiny microphone (though it cannot store or transmit any sounds). That means the SMART Brick has the potential to recognize when your child claps to activate a play scene, shouts to surprise their creation, whispers to calm them down, or even gives a gentle blow to put out a fire! (Can you tell we’re excited?!)

There you go! Your full toolkit for mastering the SMART Play System (plus a sneak peek at what could be next). Remember, seeing is believing. Once your child has the SMART Brick in their hands, the real magic begins.



Well done, everyone! Class dismissed.