Brio ’s magnetic wooden geartrain are as iconic a toy as Lego brick or Hot Wheels automobile . Traditionally minor - powered , a few years ago electric motor were introduced to the melodic phrase , but this yearBrio trainsare being upgraded with smart features that allow them to interact with data track and playsets . Do n’t hit the panic dismay just yet , though ; Brio ’s SmartTech miniature are n’t going to fleece your kids of their imagination - drive adventures .
SmartTech Trains and Playsets
WHAT IS IT ?
Gif: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
Graeco-Roman wooden gearing toys elevate with synergistic smarts .
cost
$ 35 to $ 90
Both of the SmartTech Brio trains feature modern designs, no steamies here.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
LIKE
Brings New feature of speech to the toy without require a smartphone or tab .
DISLIKE
Each train’s smart features and sound effects can be easily switched off if parents need some peace and quiet.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
Pricey , so you might be hesitant to allow younger shaver play .
If you frequent toy stores growing up , you probably remember play with those kid - sized table covered in elaborate layout of wooden Brio tracks , bridge , cranes , and trains . Those playsets have n’t changed much since first being introduced back in 1958 , and Brio ’s continued focus on inventive play is a stylemark of many toys that have similarly stood the test of meter , but that ’s not to say there is n’t elbow room for a few upgrade here and there .
The company ’s latest innovation is a new feature call SmartTech that allows Brio ’s electric - powered train to interact and respond to structures , tracks , and other accessories — and without the need for a mobile twist , apps to download , or plaguey software upgrades . puerility experts agree thatlimiting a child ’s sieve clock time is good to their growth , and Brio has found a way to implement smart , interactive features , without requiring parent to to put an expensive tablet or smartphone in their kid ’s manpower , and trust it survives playtime .
These simple interactive tunnels also work with older Brio wooden track pieces.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
There are two main components to the Brio SmartTech system : a accumulation of playset appurtenance , and a serial of unexampled wagon train . power by a pair of AA batteries , the trains feature built - in sound outcome ( horns , air travel brakes , station announcements , etc . ) , nictate LED light , and three button on the top that send the train chugging forward , rearward , or bring them to a full stay .
Even tot can quickly figure out how to get the trains run , but one feature article I would have like to have seen carried over from other Brio electric trains is an additional switch that physically disengages the motor ( alternatively of just turning it off ) so the train could also be pushed around and played with manually , without the interior mechanism that repel the wheels getting damage .
Those push atop the Brio SmartTech train are n’t the only mode to contain them , however . Each train has also been upgraded with an RFID reader that can detect the wireless check shroud in the various accouterment . The most basic of these is a aggregation of four different ‘ Action Tunnels ’ that can be placed over the tracks , triggering dissimilar behavior as a train drives through them .
When the light is red, the train stops, when it goes green, the train automatically leaves the station.Gif: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
These include pre - programmed actions like stop shortly after leave behind the tunnel , reversing direction , activating the train ’s horn , or simulating the strait and move of the train pulling into a place and burden passengers . The tunnel themselves do n’t require any batteries , and they do n’t look like they ’re pack with technology , so they blend in and work just fine with your youngster ’s exist Brio layouts . They ’re also easier to practice than the control release on each train . If your kid knows how to put obstruction in a train ’s path ( something most kids surpass at ) , they can figure these out in no time .
There aremore elaborate SmartTech accessoriesavailable as well . This bridge , which serves as a place for passenger to load and unload , has a simple block luminousness that can be switched to red or green with the gadget of a knob . When it ’s flushed , the train will stop at the place and make audio like commuters are bustling through its door , and when exchange back to jet , the train head off again . It ’s a elementary feature , but it act perfectly , right out of the box , without having to make any connection to a mobile app . It ’s as kid - favorable as it could be .
Most telling is theBrio Smart Washing Station ; basically a lilliputian car washing for trains . When an engine is diverted into the structure , it automatically travel back and forth under each of the rollers and brushes as if it ’s being scrubbed clear , complete with railroad car dry wash sound effect .
The Smart Washing Station is the most elaborate accessory in the SmartTech line.Gif: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
I think it advantageously demonstrate the potential for Brio ’s SmartTech line ; kid are still in control condition of where the wagon train go , and how they build their miniature rail lines , with the smart features adding extra value to their hand - on gaming . They ’re not just sit back and watch while the toys do everything themselves .
Brio ’s wooden toyshave always been pricier than their moldable alternative , and the new SmartTech line is no different . A starter set , which includes a railroad train , the walker bridge , three Action Tunnels , and a smattering of wooden racetrack pieces , will set you back $ 90 . But , unlike a lot of other ‘ smart ’ toys on the grocery , there ’s nothing else needed to make it work . No data processor , no nomadic devices , not even an internet connection . It just works , aright out of the box seat , encouraging tyke to recreate with their hands and imaginativeness instead of just thump at a glowing screen for hours .
README
Not cheap . A basic dispatcher hardening is $ 40 for a impertinent train and a pair of Action Tunnels , and you ’ll still need to add the wooden runway pieces .
No smartphones , tablet , or apps ask . You do n’t need to hand a $ 1,000 equipment to your kid and trust it survives playtime .
Strikes a effective symmetricalness between interactive feature article while still encouraging imaginative maneuver .
Brio has never been a cheap toy, but you don’t need to factor in the cost of a mobile device to use its new SmartTech toys.Photo: Andrew Liszewski (Gizmodo)
you could turn off the sounds and motors on each power train , but you ca n’t switch them to a free - rolling mode for manual play .
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