07 Jan 2026 / LAB for Play Design, The school and employees, Education and research

LEGO takes physical play into the technological future

Name: Kolding School of Design
Price range: $

With a new intelligent brick that can sense movement and respond with light and sound, LEGO aims to create a new kind of play experience where technology supports – rather than replaces – play. According to Helle Marie Skovbjerg, Professor and Play Researcher at Kolding School of Design, the new brick shows precisely how the play of the future can emerge through a balanced interaction between the physical, the digital and a conscious design responsibility.

By Cecilie Winding

LEGO has launched what the company itself calls the most significant LEGO invention in 50 years: a new intelligent brick that can respond with light, sound and colour changes depending on how a child plays with it.

The launch was commented on Wednesday by Helle Marie Skovbjerg, Professor Kolding School of Design and a recognised researcher in children’s play and play design:

- The new brick is rooted in the Danish design tradition, where we have historically been strong in designing great play experiences based on knowledge and research into play. LEGO shows how technology can support physical play rather than replace it, says Helle Marie Skovbjerg.

The new brick – called the LEGO Smart Brick – is the same size as a classic LEGO brick, but contains microchips, sensors and light and sound functions. Among other things, the brick can play different sounds and react in different ways depending on which bricks it is connected to and how it is moved.

For the first time, the technology makes it possible for LEGO creations to respond directly to how they are being played with. According to Helle Marie Skovbjerg, the new brick is a clear example of how play is evolving alongside technological development.

- Here, it is the physical brick that the child builds into their play. The technology supports play instead of taking over. Play is changing, and the digital world and AI are moving into children’s lives. This places new and different demands on how we design play experiences, she says.

Today, physical play is challenged by screens and digital entertainment, but this is precisely why Helle Marie Skovbjerg sees great potential in technologies that are built into physical play – rather than moving play away from it. She emphasises the importance of reflecting on what we want from new technologies before blindly letting them take over.

The new brick is initially being launched in three Star Wars sets, where it can, among other things, play different sounds depending on whether it is part of the “good” or the “evil” constructions. The brick responds through light, sound and motion sensors, creating a more vivid and situation-based play experience.

- It is important and inspiring that LEGO is once again leading the way and allowing the values of play to unfold in the interaction between the child, the bricks and the digital, says Helle Marie Skovbjerg.

She points out that Denmark has a strong historical tradition of developing toys based on children’s freedom and imagination – and that this tradition now needs to be further developed in the encounter with new technologies.

At Kolding School of Design, Helle Marie Skovbjerg heads the research environment LAB for Play Design, which works with play and design for play. Here, play design and solutions for all age groups are explored and developed, with a focus on play being intuitive, community-building and full of joy and engagement – even when technology becomes part of the play experience.

According to Helle Marie Skovbjerg, LEGO’s new brick clearly demonstrates how the play of the future can emerge through a balanced interplay between the physical, the digital and a conscious design responsibility.