At CES 2026, a smart lock and a sensor-filled LEGO brick signal the rise of ‘invisible’ computing

LAS VEGAS — On a show floor crowded with giant TVs, AI chatbots and folding phones, two of the most consequential gadgets at CES 2026 were almost easy to miss.

One is a matte metal deadbolt that quietly unlatches when an authorized iPhone or Apple Watch gets close enough. The other is a standard-looking 2-by-4 LEGO brick that can sense motion, recognize special tiles and make a Star Wars starfighter roar to life without a screen in sight.

Together, Aqara’s new Smart Lock U400 and the LEGO Group’s “SMART Play” platform point to a shift in consumer tech away from glowing displays and toward what companies are calling ambient or invisible computing — everyday objects that recognize who is nearby and respond on their own.

A door that unlocks when you arrive

Aqara, a China-based smart home brand, used CES to unveil the Smart Lock U400, a deadbolt-style replacement that supports Apple’s Home Key and uses ultra wideband, or UWB, radio to unlock doors based on proximity.

The lock, priced at $269.99 in the United States, is one of the first consumer deadbolts to ship with hands-free Apple Home Key unlocking over UWB. Once set up, an authorized user can walk toward the door with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch and have the deadbolt disengage automatically, without opening an app or tapping the device against a sensor.

“We are excited to be among the first manufacturers to deliver UWB technology in home locks to consumers,” Cathy You, Aqara’s senior vice president for global business and strategy, said in a statement. She said the company envisions “a future where smart home technology is seamless, intuitive and even invisible — your home responds naturally to the people within it, without requiring constant user interaction.”

The U400 uses UWB ranging between the lock and the phone or watch to measure distance and angle of approach. Aqara says the system relies on time-of-flight and angle-of-arrival calculations to determine not only how far a device is from the door but whether it is approaching from outside rather than sitting just inside the entryway, a key factor in preventing accidental unlocks.

In hands-on demonstrations at CES, reviewers reported that the lock typically triggered within a couple of feet of the door, rather than at the outer edge of its roughly six-foot range. The hands-free feature requires relatively recent Apple hardware — generally iPhone 11 or newer and Apple Watch Series 6 or newer, excluding the budget SE lines — running the latest versions of iOS and watchOS.

Beyond UWB, the lock supports several other ways to get in: NFC-based tap-to-unlock including Apple Home Key, a backlit numeric keypad for permanent and temporary codes, a fingerprint reader on the exterior unit, app-based control through major smart home platforms and a traditional mechanical key as a fallback.

Technically, the U400 is built on Matter-over-Thread, meaning it can be added to Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant as long as the home has a compatible Matter controller and Thread border router. Aqara says the hardware is “Aliro-ready,” referring to a forthcoming open digital key standard backed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the same industry group behind Matter.

Aliro is expected to debut this year with support from Apple, Google, Samsung and major lock brands such as Schlage and Assa Abloy. It aims to let phones and wearables across platforms act as secure keys over NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy and UWB, often without needing a cloud connection.

Aqara says a software update will add Samsung Wallet support for the U400 in the first quarter of 2026, an early sign of how Aliro-style interoperability could expand access beyond Apple’s ecosystem.

On the hardware side, the lock’s exterior components carry an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance. Power comes from a removable 4,880 mAh lithium-ion battery pack that Aqara rates at roughly six months between charges; it can be recharged over USB-C or temporarily powered from a portable battery pack if it runs dry.

The U400 is available immediately in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore through Aqara’s website and major retailers including Amazon. Aqara says Apple Stores in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are already stocking the lock, with U.S. Apple retail availability to follow later in January.

The company promotes UWB and Aliro as security improvements over earlier Bluetooth-based auto-unlock systems, which have been vulnerable to relay attacks that trick locks into thinking a key fob or phone is closer than it really is. UWB’s centimeter-level distance measurements, combined with encrypted sessions, are designed to make those relays harder.

Security and privacy experts note, however, that smart locks introduce new questions. Many devices log the time and method of each unlock, information that could be valuable for property managers, law enforcement or hackers if not handled carefully. Aqara highlights encryption and local processing but does not prominently advertise detailed log retention or data-sharing policies for the U400, leaving buyers to inspect privacy terms on their own.

A LEGO brick that knows when Vader sits down

If Aqara’s lock reimagines the home’s perimeter, LEGO’s new SMART Play platform targets the interior — specifically, children’s rooms and hobby tables.

Announced Jan. 5 in a news release datelined Billund, Denmark, and Las Vegas, the system centers on a standard-size 2-by-4 LEGO brick with a custom chip, sensors, lights and speaker inside. LEGO calls it the “SMART Brick” and describes SMART Play as “a major new interactive play platform” that will expand with new technology and sets over time.

Inside the brick is an application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC, roughly 4.1 millimeters across, smaller than a single LEGO stud. Around it are components that let the brick detect motion and orientation, respond to sound, control multicolor LEDs and play synthesized audio. Copper coils handle both wireless charging on a bundled pad and near-field magnetic sensing of nearby elements.

Those elements include so-called SMART Tags — flat 2-by-2 tiles with unique digital identifiers — and SMART Minifigures, which embed IDs under familiar Star Wars characters. When builders attach a SMART Brick to a section of a model along with particular tags and figures, the system can infer whether it represents an X-wing engine, a laser cannon, a throne or a medical bay, then react with preset behaviors.

The SMART Bricks communicate with each other over “BrickNet,” a Bluetooth-based mesh network that allows coordinated lighting and sound effects across a build. The company says the system works entirely locally and does not require an internet connection during play.

The first SMART Play sets are all based on the Star Wars franchise. Preorders open Jan. 9, with a global launch in select markets scheduled for March 1.

The initial wave includes three sets at different price points. Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter set, with about 473 pieces, one SMART Brick and a SMART Darth Vader minifigure, carries a U.S. price of $69.99. Luke Skywalker’s Red Five X-wing set, with 584 pieces, one SMART Brick, two SMART Minifigures and five SMART Tags, is priced at $99.99. A flagship Throne Room Duel & A-wing set, at 962 pieces with two SMART Bricks, three SMART Minifigures and five tags, is listed at $159.99.

In demonstrations, the bricks light up engines and weapon ports when ships are moved, play lightsaber hums and clash sounds that vary with motion during duels, and trigger the “Imperial March” when an Emperor Palpatine minifigure is placed on a throne tag.

The LEGO Group emphasizes that the system is designed to be screen-optional and backward compatible with existing bricks. The company offers a companion app for tasks such as firmware updates and configuration but says children can use the sets without a phone or tablet.

SMART Play “is not intended as a mandatory shift but rather a flexible tool for builders,” Julia Goldin, LEGO’s chief product and marketing officer, said in an interview with tech media before CES. She said the company sees the technology as adding “new depth and meaning” not only for children but also for adult fans of LEGO.

The company, which has experimented in the past with app-heavy product lines like LEGO Mindstorms robotics kits, Boost coding sets and augmented reality-based Hidden Side sets, is promoting SMART Play as a different approach. Multiple outlets have noted that the SMART Bricks contain no cameras and no always-on internet connection, and LEGO has said the system does not rely on artificial intelligence.

Invisible interfaces, visible stakes

While Aqara’s U400 and LEGO’s SMART Play occupy very different parts of the market, they share a common thread: both push technology deeper into the background of daily life.

In one case, a lock uses a radio signal to decide whether the person approaching the door is allowed inside, potentially changing how homeowners think about keys, lost phones and shared access. In the other, a child’s toy responds to movement and configuration, teaching a new generation that physical objects can sense and react without an obvious screen or camera.

The push toward ambient computing also raises questions about who benefits. Aqara’s UWB-based hands-free unlocking depends on owning relatively recent Apple devices and a nearly $270 lock, a combination that may be out of reach for many households. LEGO’s SMART Play sets, at $70 to $160 each and anchored to a premium entertainment license, sit at the high end of the toy aisle.

Industry groups and companies say open standards such as Matter and Aliro are meant in part to prevent consumers from being trapped in proprietary ecosystems, and to support more local, private operation. How those standards are implemented — and how companies handle data, security updates and access controls over time — will determine how invisible these new systems truly are.

For now, CES 2026 suggests that the next wave of consumer technology may be less about adding screens to more things and more about embedding computation into the objects people already use — the lock on the front door, and the bricks on the living room floor.