No ambient light, mic, position, or orientation yet.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20260311143409/https://www.theverge.com/tech/892894/lego-smart-brick-battery-sensors-disposable
No ambient light, mic, position, or orientation yet.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20260311143409/https://www.theverge.com/tech/892894/lego-smart-brick-battery-sensors-disposable
wow, so just more trash and waste for the sake of making toys AI integrated…?
I’m all for giving kids the tools of the future early (with limits)
but why do we have to make it disposable? (profit, I know, its rhetorical guys).
The disposability sucks, but I don’t believe there’s any AI involved.
HA I’ve been so brainwashed by 2025 I see the word smart and stupidly assume AI.
Looks like its just sensors.
I actually think this makes it worse because it doesn’t really bring a whole lot to the table from a STEM-toy perspective, although I guess learning to utilize sensors could be good for some kids if there is any type of granular control.
I grew up with Lego Mindstorms, so it can definitely inspire.
Yeah, I was really expecting some Mindstorms-level magic when I saw the first announcement teasers. The fact that it’s just an RFID reader with some LEDs is beyond disappointing.
No mindstorms shit in that form factor.
Not with that attitude.
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/20/more-detail-on-that-fantastic-lego-oled-brick/
That thing isn’t going to drive a servo.
If only there were such things as battery packs.
If everything is the size of standard bricks, then no.
Yeah, I was really expecting some Mindstorms-level magic when I saw the first announcement teasers.
I remember setting up Mindstorms to alert whenever a door was opened, so we could specifically stay up all night reading and know if our parents opened their bedroom door… Simpler times!
The point is to suck any imagination out of a child’s head.
yet. wait.
Okay but I don’t think it’s fair to criticise a product based on hypothetical enshittification.
Call them out if they do it, sure, but don’t just make stuff up and then get mad at the idea of it.
then criticize it for robbing children of their imaginations and producing more e-waste.
there’s plenty of reasons to dislike it.
Yes, I agree on both of those points.
You do realize it’s rechargeable, right? I watched jerryrigeverything’s video on it and it’s honestly a pretty neat and impressive little gadget. I cant imagine the battery ever needing to be replaced even if it were designed to be possible. I would expect it to last 5+ years of heavy play before its battery life would be effected enough to notice.
Okay, but my 20+ year old Lego still work today. Can I expect this e-waste to perform the same for my grandchildren as it would today?
To be fair, as long as the batteries are easily replaceable and don’t degrade destructively, it might age better than the original Mindstorms components which are a PITA to use today.
Then again, plain ABS at worst yellows under too much UV.