We Power Campus 4IR IoT Hackathons
Sheen Robotics brings the hardware, the platform and the mentors that turn a university hackathon into real, working IoT prototypes — from a two-hour crash course to an overnight build and a symposium-stage pitch.
From 4IR Research to Working Prototypes
South Africa invests heavily in 4IR research, yet a stubborn gap remains between academic output and real, testable solutions. A hands-on IoT hackathon is built to close it.
Research ≠ Implementation
Academic insight rarely becomes a working, testable product. A hackathon forces ideas into functional IoT prototypes in 24 hours.
Few Hands-On Chances
Students get limited room to actually prototype with sensors and microcontrollers. We put real hardware in every team’s hands.
Siloed Campuses
Collaboration across universities and disciplines is rare. This is a national platform — teams from multiple SA universities build side by side.
No Rapid-Innovation Exposure
Few students have lived a high-intensity, deadline-driven build. The overnight format teaches innovation under pressure.
Tech vs Design vs Business
Technical, design and business thinking seldom integrate. Mixed 5-person teams build holistic, user-centred solutions.
4IR Skills Gap
Employers need IoT and rapid-prototyping skills the curriculum can’t always deliver. Teams leave with both — and a portfolio piece.
What Sheen Robotics Brings
We arrive with everything a team needs to ship an IoT prototype — the kit, the no-setup coding platform, and trainers who stay on through the night.
sheenbot IoT Hardware Kits
sheenbot Infinity kits — microcontroller plus sensors (DHT, light, distance) and outputs (LEDs, actuators) — handed out per team.
Sheen Canvas + sheenIoT
Block-based coding in the browser and a live IoT dashboard, so teams go from sensor to cloud visualisation without fighting toolchains.
Trainers & Mentors
Five trainers run the workshop and support teams on-site through the day, with after-hours help over a dedicated WhatsApp channel.
A Typical Event
4IR IoT Innovation Hackathon
Run as a prelude to a university 4IR research symposium.
- Host
- Partner university campus
- With
- Universities & Sheen Robotics
- Format
- Overnight, 2-day prelude
- Teams
- 12 teams × 5 members · national
- Prize
- Cash prize + goodie bags & T-shirts
A Hackathon That Plugs Into Your Symposium
Run as a prelude to a university 4IR research symposium, the IoT hackathon turns research themes into working prototypes that go on to be showcased on the main stage. We bring it to universities across South Africa.
- Teams drawn from universities across South Africa.
- An orientation, then an intensive overnight build with continuous mentorship.
- Morning refinement and formal pitches integrated into the symposium expo.
- Standout MVPs routed to the campus innovation lab for post-event incubation.
From Challenge Brief to Incubation
A compressed, high-intensity innovation process — Sheen Robotics supports every phase from the first brief to the final pitch.
Sensor to Cloud in Two Hours
A hands-on, two-hour crash course that takes students from snapping their first code block to watching live sensor data on an IoT dashboard.
Sheen Canvas & Sensor Coding
- Navigate the Sheen Canvas block-coding interface
- Snap blocks together and reason about coding flow & logic
- How sensors work — and how to read and react to them
- Hands-on with DHT, light and distance sensors, LEDs and actuators
- Basic troubleshooting and testing methods
sheenIoT Platform & Data Visualisation
- Push live sensor data from the device to the sheenIoT platform
- Connect a project to a real-time dashboard
- Monitor and visually represent live readings
- Understand cloud-based IoT systems end to end
- See how IoT supports real-world problem-solving
Build for What Matters
Challenges align with the symposium's 4IR themes — real problems where IoT can make a measurable difference.
Smart Cities
Digital infrastructure and connected urban systems.
Energy & Sustainability
Efficiency, clean energy and circular-economy thinking — e.g. pipe-leak detection sensors.
ICT for Development
ICT4D solutions that expand access and opportunity.
Healthcare Innovation
Data-driven, personalised care that closes health-equity gaps.
AgriTech
Smart, sustainable agriculture and food-system digitisation.
EduTech
Technology that reimagines learning and bridges education gaps.
Judged on Impact, Not Just Code
A panel chosen by the host universities scores every submission against a balanced rubric, then mentors the shortlisted teams onward. Each team submits a title and description, a public GitHub repo, a 2–5 minute demo video, UI screenshots and an explanation of their AI approach.
What Teams Walk Away With
Beyond the prize money, the real reward is exposure, a portfolio and a path to keep building.
Cash Prize & Goodies
A cash winning prize plus sponsored goodie bags and co-branded event T-shirts.
Industry Networks
Direct exposure to research and industry partners scouting emerging talent and ideas.
Incubation Path
Standout MVPs continue at the campus innovation lab with business-model support and ROI focus.
Recognition
Showcased at the symposium expo, on campus, and recognised on DevPost.
A Real Portfolio Piece
A working prototype, a public code repo and a pitch deck to show employers and funders.
4IR Skills
Rapid prototyping, IoT systems thinking, teamwork and problem-solving under pressure.
See It in Action
Students building, testing and pitching real IoT solutions through the night. Take a look at the gallery.
Bring an IoT Hackathon to Your Campus
Tell us your university, expected team count and the themes you care about — we'll put together a hardware, workshop and mentorship package that fits your event.
Partner with us →