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Lego's new smart brick and the best tech announced at CES 2026 so far

A person places a Lego brick with lights on another Lego pieceGetty Images

Lego are hoping the new brick will light up people's imaginations

Lego fans have been getting excited about a brand new brick that's just been announced by the Danish toy company.

It's called the Smart Brick, and it's the same size as a standard Lego brick but has tech features like lights, scanners, speakers and sensors.

It's part of a Smart Play system that Lego revealed at CES, an annual conference where tech companies show off their latest creations.

The brand new brick has caused a big reaction, but there have been lots of other cool products revealed at CES too.

Read on to find out more about some of the new tech we'll be seeing in 2026.

BBC News Technology Reporter Alasdair Keane has more

More top tech:

A person holding a simple Lego build of a plane with a pilot upside downGetty Images

Lego says that the Smart Play system can help to bring kids' creations to life

Lego says its new bricks can react to how people play with them and what they build around them.

At the CES announcement, the Lego team showed how a plane built with a Smart Brick will play out flying sounds as a person moves it.

Its Smart Play system also features new minifigures and tags that can respond to each other, telling the Smart Brick what it should do.

Lego says that the brand new brick is "designed to inspire children", but some play experts have mixed reactions.

Josh Golin, executive director of children's wellbeing group Fairplay, told the BBC that adding tech to Lego could "undermine what was once great" about the simple bricks.

A robot to help you do your chores

A white robot with arms and a face on a moving stand next to a dishwasherGetty Images

This is just one of many AI robots displayed at CES this year

Bricks aren't the only smart thing that's been revealed at CES so far - meet the LG CLOiD Home Robot.

This clever AI-powered home helper was shown folding clothes, taking items out of the fridge and tidying a living room.

Having one of these guys could make the future of chores a lot easier.

Cute and cuddly companions

A person stands holding two tech toys, which look like stuffed animals with digital eyes Reuters

Meet Cocomo and Inu

CES 2026 has seen lots of robots designed to do jobs, but what about the ones who just want to hang out?

Japanese company LudensAI have made two AI-powered robot pals - Cocomo, who speaks with hums and sounds and responds to hugs, and Inu, who can sit on your desk whilst you do your homework.

A guitar... without any strings?

A person playing an electronic instrument in the shape of a guitar but without stringsReuters

It's tech meets tradition with this new instrument

It sounds like something that couldn't possibly work, but the music technology company LiberLive are hoping to prove otherwise.

The C2 stringless guitar responds to how hard or soft people play the instrument, using sampling technology to play the sound of a guitar.

It looks like a video game controller, and LiberLive says it will bring "studio-level sound quality" to the world of smart instruments.