LEGO VIDIYO: Using Augmented Reality to bring LEGO to life with Universal Music

The minds of the Lego creative folk just boggle, not content with being the most versatile “toy” you can buy, they keep coming up with new ideas to hook us in – this time Lego VIDIYO which allows you to bring Lego to life in a music video.

Aimed at kids aged 7-10, this product is a partnership between LEGO and Universal Music. Using LEGO minifigs you buy in the VIDIYO sets, you create your own band.

Each “Beatbox” set comes with a band member, a huge number of “beat bits” and a box for the lot that doubles as a stage for their performance.

Then there are mystery boxes with additional band mates and beat bits inside.

Get one, or get many, then in the LEGO VIDIYO app, you “scan” your band members in. This is done using your smart device’s camera – recognising the character as well as the beat bits themselves.

Those little square “beat bits” are the key to it all, each one triggering a different action when you get around to filming your music video.

And doing so is a breeze. Choose a song from the limited Universal Music library (About 30 songs at launch, new ones added every fortnight), and pick your band (you can make as many bands as you like).

Scan in your character and the beat bits you want to use for this video and get recording.

You can choose from three scales of mini figs, either 4cm, 1.2m or 5m, for the desk, the room or the great outdoors.

Using your phone to shoot the video, the band appears as if in the real world, to sing and dance along with the song.

If you do nothing, they’re a very basic performance, but as soon as you tap those beat bits on screen that you chose – they come to life, new dance moves, effects, sounds the whole box and dice.

Each performance is 60 seconds, saved in the VIDIYO app for you to show your mates, but you can also choose to trim the performance into short bites and share that on the VIDIYO app with the world.

Sharing in VIDIYO is safe for kids, as all content is moderated, and like other LEGO social initiatives there is no typing, just keywords to choose, or emojis to share.

LEGO VIDIYO goes on sale March 1, the beat boxes are $25.99, while the Mystery Bandmate boxes are just $5.99.