I have rather mixed feelings about Lego's new Smart Brick, which has been generating quite a lot of vitriol among adult Lego fans online. Everything I've seen so far makes the Smart Brick look rather interesting, though the price of both the Brick itself and other compatible sets has given me pause. The tie-in sets all seem rather expensive, even by the standard of Lego Star Wars, which is infamous for its high price tags. Adding a bunch of brand-new tech to what would already be an expensive box of plastic bricks doesn't sound like a fantastic idea. But I can't appreciate the tech that's actually being utilized here. Especially after seeing YouTube JerryRigEverything tear open a Smart Brick to show off how it all works.
JerryRigEverything is best known for tearing open and torturing smartphones, but this time he's not stressing the Smart Brick to show off its limits — or gauge repairability. It's obvious from the get-go that this brick is not going back together again. Nope, this is all about seeing how this thing works.
The crazy thing about the Smart Brick is how much it can do. The brick has a built-in synthesizer to generate sounds, offers a color-detection sensor on either side, and wirelessly communicates with the new smart tags and minifigures. Plus a built-in battery that can only be recharged with a special wireless charger. A lot is going on in here, and inside something that is barely larger than a standard 2x4 Lego brick.The first thing the teardown reveals is that there are copper wires all over the place. Not only does this facilitate wireless charging and reverse wireless charging to energize other compatible objects, but the sheer number of coils also helps the Brick identify where those objects are. This also lets it detect more than one tag or minifigure at a time.
Once tags and minifigures are energized, the actual communication uses something Lego calls BrickNet — a Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network. Each accessory then relays information back to the Smart Brick, telling it what sort of noises it needs to make. Which is pretty impressive stuff for a kid's toy, and it doesn't require the use of any screens or apps to operate. Which hasn't always been the case for Lego's various 21st-century innovationsAlso inside the Brick is a prism to redirect light to the color-sending pad, an accelerometer for registering movement and a microphone which isn't being used yet. Lego says that the microphone will be activated as part of a future update, provided the user consents.
However, the company maintains that it doesn't record, store or transmit audio. It's more like a virtual button that is powered by sound. That is definitely for the best, considering Lego is still firmly marketed as a toy for kids and Smart Brick is more focused on play than display.Though that last part is going to be a point of contention for many adult collectors. I'm not in the habit of playing with my Lego, and since my son is still too young for Lego (and Duplo), I won't be playing with it with him for a long time yet. But considering how much fun the Smart Brick seems to be, I might just have to pick some up when I can.
