🚀 I built Brickbeam — an AI-powered assistant that helps LEGO fans turn their messy piles of bricks into real builds.
If you have kids, you probably know this situation: hundreds (or thousands) of LEGO pieces mixed together in a box, and nobody knows what can actually be built with them. 😅
I created Brickbeam to solve this problem.
📸 Take a photo of your LEGO bricks
🤖 AI analyzes your pieces
🧱 Discover sets and builds you can create with what you already own
The idea came from a simple frustration: LEGO collections keep growing, but many pieces end up forgotten at the bottom of the box.
Instead of buying new sets, what if you could rediscover the possibilities hidden in your existing bricks?
Brickbeam is now live on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/brickbeam/id6794062762?l=en
I’d love to hear your thoughts:
Would you use an app like this for your LEGO collection?
What features would make it more useful?
Any LEGO fans here who want to try it?
This is my first step in building Brickbeam, and I’m excited to share the journey with the Indie Hackers community. 🚀
smart use case for computer vision a lot cleverer than the usual 'take a photo, get info' app since it's solving a real 'what can I actually build' decision problem. Curious how it handles rare/discontinued pieces does it degrade gracefully to 'partial match' suggestions, or does it need a fairly complete standard set to work well?
It's a good idea but the question is what kind of a moat you can build, especially where LEGO themselves are concerned. One of the big questions here is how difficult it is or is not for LEGO to build a similar feature into their existing software. Right now, it looks like their apps are essentially interactive instruction manuals for sets customers purchase, but this is a tool that could be embedded for customers after they purchase a certain quantity of sets, or reach a certain minimum spend with Lego, etc.
I think the layer that begins to build a moat would be to add a generative AI component that tells people what they could build that is not already in the LEGO catalogue (new, AI generated designs). LEGO would be reticent to incorporate this because it destabilises their branding and sales strategy, and it would give Brickbeam a strong USP
Thanks, this is a really thoughtful point. I agree that the long-term challenge is not just building a LEGO piece recognition tool, but creating something that becomes more valuable over time.
My current thinking is that Brickbeam is not trying to replace LEGO’s ecosystem or compete with their instructions/catalogue. The interesting opportunity is the opposite: helping people unlock more value from the bricks they already own, including the thousands of pieces that are not part of an official set anymore.
I really like your point about generative AI designs. I think that’s one of the directions that could make Brickbeam much more unique — moving from “find existing sets you can build” to “imagine new creations from your own collection.”
There are also some interesting challenges there: making AI-generated builds actually buildable, respecting real-world constraints (available pieces, stability, missing parts), and making the experience fun rather than just generating random models.
Still early days, but feedback like this helps shape where the product should go. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
The interesting challenge is turning a one-time "what can I build with these bricks?" moment into a recurring LEGO companion.
What would convince you that Brickbeam can become part of a family's ongoing LEGO workflow rather than a tool they open once per collection?
Great point. The initial idea was solving the discovery problem, but I agree the bigger opportunity is becoming a LEGO companion over time. We’re thinking about features like keeping a digital inventory, tracking builds, and generating new ideas as collections grow. The goal is not just 'what can I build today?' but 'what can I create next with what I already have?
Appreciate the context.
The shift from a one-time discovery tool to something that supports an ongoing hobby journey is an interesting direction to explore.