These Lego-like "Brixels" Could Make Your Walls Into Robots

Here's something new for architects to play with.

Meet the Brixel

The term "smart home" probably makes you think of a more-or-less traditional house that features a few smart lights and connected appliances.

Design studio Breakfast threw out that playbook with an extraordinary new demo of a technology it calls "Brixels" — a portmanteau for "bricks" and "pixels." They're smart blocks, kind of like giant Legos, with built-in actuators that let them transform on the fly, giving designers a new tool with which to create adaptable public and living spaces.

Bling Blocks

In a series of photos and videos, Breakfast showcased Brixels with wooden, colored, and mirrored finishes. One video — check it out below — shows how we could use double-sided Brixels to create a wall that can transform from a solid color into a brilliant mirror.

Of course, you'll never know how you feel about anything in interior design until it's 10 years old and clogged with dust and grit. But if these Brixels prove that they have longevity, they could be an exciting new resource for architects and designers.

 

READ MORE: Say Hello to ‘Brixel’, 2018’s Answer to the Brick [Curbed]

More on smart homes: A New “Mega-Sensor” Could Make Your Entire Home Smart