Love it or hate it, Lego's Smart Brick has elicited strong reactions from its adult fanbase as they process the analog toymaker's embrace of tech.

These “Smart Bricks” and “Smart Play” initiatives, just announced at CES 2026, aren’t like the huge Lego Mario toys that required two AAA batteries and mostly only activated when their bottom-mounted cameras detected color or barcodes.

Sporting wonderful names like Timmerflotte, Alpstuga, Klipbok and Myggspray, Ikea's smart sensors are all Matter-compatible, which means you can use them with Ikea's app or popular platforms like Apple Home and Google Home. They include motion sensors, access sensors for doors or windows, air quality sensors, water leak detectors and other options.

Upgrade your eyewear with glasses that can function as cameras, headphones, and AR displays. We've tested all the major models and have everything you need to know to pick the right smart glasses for you.

Backed by shareholders Mercedes-Benz and Geely and bolstered by financing milestones achieved ahead of schedule, smart will accelerate its global ambitions in 2026. The brand will soon enter its 40th market and continue opening new frontiers throughout the year with further market launches and enhanced smartcare services for customers.

While the LEGO Mario builds have some interactive elements, Smart Play takes it to the next level. Only the individual LEGO characters (Mario, Luigi and Peach) themselves are the pieces with the technology, and they come to life when placed on the square action tiles. They're sensors that are unique to LEGO Mario.

Smart rings are finally going mainstream. It took only a decade.

I picked Aqara’s Smart Lock U400 and Roborock’s Saros Rover robot vacuum as the overall best smart home gadgets from CES 2026, but there were gazillions of other great gadgets on the show floor.