Reddit user builds app that can recognise LEGO bricks

A tech-savvy redditor has designed an app that can scan and identify LEGO bricks.

If you’ve ever sorted through a bulk lot of LEGO bricks and come across an unfamiliar piece, you’ll know the frustration of finding out where it came from. And that common issue among LEGO fans seems to be exactly what djibkan2 is hoping to overcome with their ingenious app.

The anonymous user posted a preview of the app to reddit, showing it scanning a 1×6 brick, 2×8 brick and 2×4 plate. Astonishingly, it correctly identified all three. Whether you’re a BrickLink power user or brand new to the LEGO part library, this could be a gamechanger.

It’s early days at the moment, but djibkan2 is seeking feedback and suggestions from LEGO fans. Just hop over to reddit and leave a comment. So far, other users have recommended adding links to BrickLink, giving more information when scanning a brick, and even implementing augmented reality.

The app’s creator used synthetic data from 3D modelling software LDraw to train it to recognise individual pieces. And they’re apparently aiming to make it a dream app for BrickLink store owners by automatically adding scanned pieces to their inventory.

It has its limitations, of course: for now, you can only scan one brick at a time. And it works based on shapes, so you can’t use it to distinguish printed bricks. But here’s hoping djibkan2 can find solutions to those problems in time, because this has the potential to be an incredible tool for LEGO fans.

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