Home / Technology / Inside Lego's Smart Brick: More Than Just Plastic
Inside Lego's Smart Brick: More Than Just Plastic
10 Mar
Summary
- Smart Brick integrates a synthesizer, color sensors, and wireless communication.
- Its internal coils enable wireless charging and object detection.
- Communication uses Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network, BrickNet, without screens.
Lego's new Smart Brick boasts impressive technological integration within its compact design. It features a built-in synthesizer for sound generation, color-detection sensors, and wireless connectivity with compatible accessories. This advanced brick also includes a battery rechargeable via a special wireless charger.
The internal structure reveals numerous copper wires, enabling not only wireless charging but also reverse charging for other devices. These coils are crucial for identifying the position of accessories, allowing the brick to detect multiple tags or minifigures simultaneously.
Communication between the Smart Brick and its accessories is facilitated by Lego's BrickNet, a Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network. This system allows accessories to relay information, enabling the Smart Brick to generate appropriate sounds. Notably, this interactive experience operates without requiring any screens or external applications.
Further internal components include a prism for light redirection, an accelerometer for motion detection, and a microphone. While currently inactive, Lego plans to enable the microphone via a future update, ensuring user consent and assuring that audio is not recorded, stored, or transmitted. This focus on play over display aims to appeal to younger users.
