Newsroom

Company milestones, industry news, and our take on coding & robotics education.

Insights· 02 Jul 2026

Home automation that survives load shedding

Keep a smart home working through load shedding: put only the hub, router and sensors on battery, make every device boot to a safe known state, and test a real dark-start.

Insights· 30 Jun 2026

Subscription-free coding robots: comparing total cost of ownership

The price on the box is the smallest cost of a classroom robot. Here is a simple 3-year total-cost-of-ownership framework, and why free-forever software changes the maths.

Insights· 22 Jun 2026

Retrofitting an older South African home into a smart home

Make an older SA home smart without rewiring: add smart relays at the DB and appliance points, use self-healing mesh radios instead of a hub per room, and roll out by payback.

Insights· 21 Jun 2026

Block coding vs Python for kids: when should they switch?

There is no magic age. Move a child from blocks to Python when they fight the blocks or reach for functions and data, and switch the language while keeping the same board.

Insights· 21 Jun 2026

Girls in robotics: getting them in and keeping them in

Girls stay in robotics when the room feels made for them, projects have a purpose, role models are visible, and the group setting is right. Practical moves for parents and teachers.

Industry News· 20 Jun 2026

EV3 app support ends 31 July: keeping old kits useful

The LEGO EV3 programming app reaches end-of-support on 31 July 2026, but the kits keep working. Community firmware like Pybricks, Python routes and repurposing keep old sets useful.

Insights· 20 Jun 2026

School WiFi and IoT: the email template for your IT department

Getting connected robotics kits onto the school network is easier when you speak IT's language. Here are the exact fields your IT team needs, plus a copy-paste email you can adapt.

Insights· 17 Jun 2026

School holiday programs in SA: a parent's planning calendar

South African schools break four times a year. Here is when each holiday fills up, how far ahead to book, and how to mix sport, arts and STEM without overload.

Insights· 15 Jun 2026

Assessment in robotics class: beyond "the robot moved"

To assess robotics projects fairly, grade the thinking that produced the robot, not the final demo. Collect process evidence and reward good debugging.

Insights· 04 Jun 2026

Classroom device management: charging, storage and checkout that scale

Numbered kits, a photo inventory, a charging rota and cable discipline turn classroom robotics device management into a ten-minute weekly job, not an hour before every lesson.

Insights· 03 Jun 2026

Keeping school robotics kits alive: a maintenance playbook

A maintenance playbook for school robotics kits: a numbered checkout system, battery discipline, cable strain relief, end-of-term audits, a student crew and a funded parts bin.

Industry News· 03 Jun 2026

Students pitched smart farms to the Minister: inside the MICTSETA 4IR symposium

At the May 2026 MICTSETA 4IR Symposium and IoT Hackathon, students built a smart farm and pitched it to the Minister of Higher Education. What that moment means for schools.

Our Journey· 28 May 2026

MICTSETA 4IR Symposium & IoT Hackathon

Students built a smart-farm solution with sheenbot and presented it to the South African Minister of Higher Education.

Insights· 25 May 2026

LEGO robotics alternatives for schools: an honest comparison

Build-system kits like LEGO Spike Prime start fast and last. Electronics-first boards cost less per seat and teach real code. Weigh cost per seat, spares, and longevity risk.

Insights· 17 May 2026

Free ways to try coding and robotics before buying anything

You can test whether coding and robotics suit your child without spending a rand: browser simulators, a free trial lesson, library clubs and school open days all come first.

Our Journey· 16 May 2026

AWS Future Career Expo

Sheen introduced Grade 9 students facing subject choices to the skills required for careers in robotics, AI and IoT.

Insights· 15 May 2026

My kid loses interest in every kit we buy. What are we doing wrong?

Kids rarely lose interest because they can't focus. Kits stall when the guided projects run out. The fix: goals your child owns, remixing, an audience, and honesty about whose dream it was.

Insights· 13 May 2026

Screen time that builds instead of drains: the case for hands-on coding

The problem with screen time is passive consumption, not the screen. Hands-on coding turns the display into a tool a child aims at something they build, with a real result.

Insights· 12 May 2026

Traffic light logic: teaching state machines to 10-year-olds

A traffic light is the perfect first state machine: each colour is a state, each change a transition, and timing decides when to move. Build the fixed cycle, then add a button.

Insights· 11 May 2026

Cross-curricular robotics: projects for math, science and language class

One robot build can carry three subjects: sensor graphs for math, fair tests for science, clear instructions for language, with shared assessment across teachers.

Insights· 07 May 2026

ESP-NOW vs WiFi vs LoRa: picking a radio for your project

Use WiFi for internet and dashboards, ESP-NOW for cheap board-to-board messaging, and LoRa when sensors sit far away. Here is how to choose, and how to mix all three.

Insights· 07 May 2026

Setting up a school robotics lab: a complete budget guide

A school robotics lab costs more than the kits. Here are the real budget lines - spares, charging, storage, training, contingency - plus a phased three-year plan and grant tips.

Our Journey· 06 May 2026

Laerskool Paul Greyling

Sheen introduced smart farming and training to teachers, building its first smart-farm partner school.

Insights· 30 Apr 2026

What is computational thinking? A plain-language guide for parents

Computational thinking is problem-solving in four habits: break it down, spot patterns, strip out detail, write clear steps. It is not the same as coding.

Insights· 26 Apr 2026

Starting an FTC team with zero engineering background

You do not need an engineering degree to coach a FIRST Tech Challenge team. The rookie's real job is facilitation and logistics, not robot design.

Insights· 25 Apr 2026

MQTT explained for teachers (no jargon)

MQTT is the messaging system behind most IoT dashboards. Picture a classroom noticeboard: devices pin notes under named topics, and a broker passes them to whoever is subscribed.

Insights· 16 Apr 2026

Trial class checklist: 10 things to watch before you enrol

A trial class reveals more than any brochure. Ten things any parent can watch in one visit: who does the thinking, how mistakes get handled, and what your child says afterwards.

Industry News· 14 Apr 2026

The A301 backlash: what FIRST can learn from its community

The A301 backlash is really about transition management: grandfather hardware teams already own, be transparent on cost and timing, and treat non-US teams as first-class.

Insights· 12 Apr 2026

How to choose a robotics kit for an 8-year-old

The best robotics kit for an 8-year-old skips soldering, uses block coding and chunky connectors, and favours sensors over speed. Here is what to look for and what wastes money.

Insights· 12 Apr 2026

3D printing in schools: buy, outsource, or partner?

The right choice depends on how much you actually print: occasional volume favours outsourcing, steady weekly use justifies owning a machine, and project spikes suit a maker-partner.

Insights· 07 Apr 2026

A class of 35 and kits for 10: rotation strategies that work

Ten kits can teach a class of 35, and often better than one-per-child. The method is deliberate rotation: fixed groups, rotating roles, and a split between screen work and hardware.

Industry News· 02 Apr 2026

The CSTA survey: most CS teachers never studied CS. That is fixable

A 2025 CSTA survey found most CS teachers never studied CS and half teach alone. The fix is not hiring specialists: it is curriculum, rehearsal, peer support and honest tools.

Insights· 20 Mar 2026

Keeping plants alive over school holidays: an automation checklist

Before the break, work through five things: top up the reservoir, leave EC headroom, test every timer, set remote alerts, and name a human who can reach the plants.

Industry News· 18 Mar 2026

FIRST LEGO League after SPIKE: what teams should do now

SPIKE Prime is being retired, but FLL teams can keep competing on it through the 2027-28 season. Here is how to buy spares before June 2026, budget the switch, and protect your coding skills.

Our Journey· 14 Mar 2026

WCED Growth for Jobs

Sheen joined Du Rust Futura Academy drone activities, introducing students to the industry and related career opportunities.

Insights· 12 Mar 2026

Holiday coding camps: how to pick a good one

A good holiday coding camp sends your child home with something they built and can explain. Here are the red flags, the green flags, and the questions to email before you pay.

Insights· 07 Mar 2026

micro:bit vs ESP32 boards for classrooms: an honest comparison

For most classrooms the micro:bit's mature ecosystem makes it the safer first board; reach for the ESP32 when you need WiFi, more power or real IoT. An honest, classroom-first comparison.

Industry News· 02 Mar 2026

SchoolScape 2026 and the rise of classroom IoT platforms

At SchoolScape 2026 the classroom kit stopped being the whole product. The dashboard behind it, a live view of every connected device, is now its own buying category.

Our Journey· 26 Feb 2026

SchoolScape Expo

Sheen officially launched the sheenIoT platform at the SchoolScape expo.

Insights· 13 Feb 2026

How much should you spend on your child's first robot?

The right amount is the least you can spend on a programmable, repairable robot that fits your child's stage, plus a little set aside for batteries and spares.

Industry News· 10 Feb 2026

Humanoids meet the classroom: reflections from the WCED STEAM conference

Humanoid robots stole the show at the February 2026 WCED STEAM conference. Here is what they are actually for in education, and where a class set of desktop kits still teaches more.

Insights· 10 Feb 2026

isiZulu, isiXhosa and code: why mother-tongue matters in STEM

Coding already fills a child's working memory; doing it in a second language adds a tax on top. Mother-tongue support in isiZulu and isiXhosa frees that capacity for the logic.

Insights· 07 Feb 2026

Arduino starter kit vs all-in-one education board for kids

For most kids under twelve, an all-in-one education board gets more working lessons done; an Arduino starter kit pays off later, once wiring itself is the thing you want to teach.

Our Journey· 07 Feb 2026

WCED STEAM Conference

Sheen Robotics brought a humanoid robot to the public for the first time, introducing the potential of pairing humanoid robots with education.

Insights· 01 Feb 2026

Scratch, Blockly, MakeCode: what is the difference?

All three are block-based coding. Scratch targets on-screen stories, MakeCode targets physical boards, and Blockly is the engine other editors are built on. Choose by goal.

Insights· 23 Jan 2026

Teacher training for coding and robotics: what actually helps

One-off robotics workshops fade fast. What actually helps teachers is a cohort learning together, practice embedded in real lessons, and office hours after the workshop ends.

Industry News· 20 Jan 2026

LEGO retires SPIKE: the end of an era for school robotics

LEGO Education is retiring the entire SPIKE range, with sales ending 30 June 2026 and a pricier CS and AI kit as successor. Here is what schools with class sets should do now.

Insights· 15 Jan 2026

Educational robot durability: what breaks first and why

Classroom robots fail in a predictable order: connectors and cables first, then battery doors, then gears, then ports. Buy for repairability, keep spares, and ask vendors the right questions.

Insights· 09 Jan 2026

STEM on a school budget: grants and sponsorships that work in SA

STEM funding for SA schools rarely comes from one cheque. It comes from corporate SED and CSI, SETA grants, foundations and community. Here is where the money is and how to ask.

Insights· 05 Jan 2026

Pool pump automation: the payback math

Automating a pool pump pays back fast because most of its run-time is habit, not need. Cut hours to what turnover requires, shift them off-peak, and work out the months to payback.

Insights· 25 Dec 2025

Inside a robotics academy: what a term actually looks like

A good robotics term runs on a rhythm: onboarding, a core-skills block, a multi-week build, then a showcase. Here is what each stage looks like and what to check by week 4 and week 10.

Insights· 25 Dec 2025

Tower vs NFT vs desktop kit: choosing a classroom growing system

Tower, NFT rack, or desktop kit? The right classroom growing system comes down to space, who tends it over the holidays, power reliability and cost, not yield. Here is how to match each.

Insights· 24 Dec 2025

What hydroponics teaches beyond biology: data literacy in a tank

Growing plants in water turns a classroom into a live control system: learners read sensors, set thresholds and debug, practising the measure-chart-decide loop behind data literacy.

Insights· 20 Dec 2025

FTC rookie mistakes every new team regrets

The mistakes that sink rookie FTC teams are habits, not talent: starting the build late, skipping driver practice, over-building, and neglecting the notebook. Here is how to avoid all twelve.

Insights· 18 Dec 2025

FTC drivetrain choices for rookie teams

For a rookie FTC team, a simple, well-built tank drivetrain you can drive for hours beats a clever mecanum or swerve you cannot keep running. Build quality and practice win.

Industry News· 12 Dec 2025

FIRST's A301 announcement: what a single legal actuator means for FTC teams

FIRST says the 2027-28 SystemCore season will allow one legal actuator, the REV A301. Here is what standardisation, sunk costs and tight budgets mean for FTC teams planning purchases.

Insights· 10 Dec 2025

Coding without a computer: unplugged activities that actually work

Unplugged coding teaches the ideas behind programming with bodies and cards, not screens. Here is when it works, three activities that stick, and when it becomes theatre.

Insights· 09 Dec 2025

Scouting and match strategy basics for FTC

Scouting for FTC is organised note-taking on what robots can do. Here is a one-page scouting sheet, how to brief an alliance partner, and when defence is worth playing.

Insights· 08 Dec 2025

Robotics kit for a 10-year-old: what changes from age 8

At ten, kids need projects over demos, a first taste of text code, and sensors that add logic. The buying rule: pick a kit you can extend, not replace.

Insights· 30 Nov 2025

What "AI-native" actually means in an education robot (and what is marketing)

"AI-native" on a robot's box means one of three things: on-device voice or vision, an AI coding helper, or just a sticker. Here is how to tell which you are paying for.

Insights· 28 Nov 2025

Ten robot projects you can build in one lesson each

Ten robotics projects that each pair one sensor with one actuator, teach one clear concept, and fit a single 40 to 60 minute lesson. No exotic parts, with ways to dial each up or down.

Insights· 26 Nov 2025

Classroom hydroponics: the complete teacher starter guide

A vendor-neutral guide to starting hydroponics in your classroom: choosing a simple system, siting it, managing water and power, planning around SA school terms, and CAPS tie-ins.

Insights· 21 Nov 2025

Fundraising for a robotics team: what works and what wastes time

Warm introductions, a clear sponsor value story, tiered asks and in-kind support raise more for a robotics team than mass cold emails and low-yield events.

Insights· 19 Nov 2025

From simulator to real robot: making the jump without frustration

Simulators teach logic and sequencing; only hardware teaches friction, batteries and sensor noise. Here is how to stage the jump so your child meets the mess ready, not frustrated.

Our Journey· 19 Nov 2025

AGiBot HQ Visit

Sheen invited top CEOs from South African industuries to visit AGiBot, the top-tier robotics company in China.

Our Journey· 19 Nov 2025

Bellville Preparatory School

Sheen delivered WhalesBot robotics courses in Bellville Preparatory School.

Insights· 12 Nov 2025

From classroom to market day: running a mini hydroponic business

A hydroponic grow fits inside one school term, so it doubles as a real business project: pick fast crops, cost the inputs, price with a margin, and sell fresh greens on market day.

Insights· 07 Nov 2025

Hydroponics science projects: experiments with real data

A hydroponics science fair project is a fair test: change one thing, control the rest, measure it. Eight ready-to-run experiment designs plus a write-up scaffold judges respect.

Insights· 07 Nov 2025

Practice field access: why scrimmage time decides matches

Regular, structured driving time on a real field is what separates FTC teams that win close matches from those that lose them. Here is how to get it, share it, and use it well.

Industry News· 05 Nov 2025

SA EdTech Week 2025: building EdTech readiness in under-resourced schools

SA EdTech Week 2025 put readiness in under-resourced schools first: design for power, connectivity and durability before software, and invest in teachers over tool count.

Our Journey· 02 Nov 2025

Grade 9 STEM Bootcamp Ceres

Sheen participated STEM Bootcamp at Ceres and host the Coding & Robotics workshops.

Insights· 30 Oct 2025

OLED, LEDs and displays: choosing feedback hardware for kids' projects

Feedback hardware makes bugs visible. For beginners a single LED often teaches more than a screen; an OLED earns its place once there is real text or data to show. Here is how to choose by age.

Insights· 29 Oct 2025

Load shedding and school tech: designing lessons for power cuts

A power cut shouldn't end a coding lesson. Design for load shedding with battery-first devices, offline tools, planned charge windows, unplugged fallbacks and a lab wired to cope.

Our Journey· 28 Oct 2025

SA EdTech Week

Sheen attended SA EdTech Week 2025 focus on building EdTech readiness in under-resourced contexts.

Our Journey· 25 Oct 2025

TDK Edventures Partnership

Sheen and TDK Edventures signed partnership agreement.

Insights· 21 Oct 2025

Kit parts vs custom machining in FTC: when each wins

Kit parts should build most of an FTC robot; custom machining earns the last 10%. Here is the cost and lead-time math, what to customise first, and how to get parts made without a mill.

Our Journey· 21 Oct 2025

Forest Village Leadership Academy

Sheen delivered robotics kits and training to its first partnership school.

Our Journey· 20 Oct 2025

New Office Expansion

Sheen expand its office to accomodate more students.

Insights· 19 Oct 2025

Smart home science fair projects that actually impress judges

Judges reward a measured question, a fair control and clean data, not a gadget that switches on. Here is how to turn a smart home build into a real experiment, with six outlines.

Insights· 07 Oct 2025

AI helpers in coding class: guardrails that keep learning honest

AI coding helpers are already in the room. The fix is not a ban but a few guardrails that keep the thinking with the student: hints not solutions, predict-then-run, explain-before-merge.

Insights· 07 Oct 2025

Keeping an FTC team alive after the seniors graduate

Teams rarely die from a bad robot. They die when a strong cohort graduates and takes the knowledge with them. Design for succession: document, shadow, share leadership, recruit early.

Insights· 26 Sept 2025

The weather station project: from sensor to dashboard

A weather station project moves through five stages: sensor choice, siting, logging, graphing and simple forecast rules. Here is the full arc, plus extensions.

Insights· 25 Sept 2025

IoT without the cloud: local-first designs that keep working

Local-first IoT keeps the control loop on the device and treats the cloud as optional, so a dropped connection or a load-shedding slot is an inconvenience, not a dead device.

Insights· 24 Sept 2025

Matric subject choices for a robotics career

The one subject that decides a robotics career is pure Mathematics, not Maths Literacy. Add Physical Sciences, treat IT as a bonus, and know the recovery paths.

Insights· 22 Sept 2025

CAPS Coding & Robotics: what South African teachers need to know

A plain-English guide to South Africa's CAPS Coding and Robotics subject: what it covers, how the rollout really looks, and how teachers can align lessons without waiting for perfect kit.

Insights· 19 Sept 2025

Robotics and the South African skills gap: where the jobs actually are

South Africa's real robotics jobs are not humanoid robots. They are automation maintenance, agritech, logistics and embedded work. Here is where the demand sits and how schools should respond.

Insights· 19 Sept 2025

Kratky vs pumps: choosing passive or active hydroponics for school

Passive Kratky survives holidays and load shedding but grows mostly leafy greens; active pumped systems grow more and automate better but need power and daily care. Decide by your term calendar.

Insights· 17 Sept 2025

Line-following robots: the physics and the code

A line-following robot reads reflected light, thresholds it into on-line or off-line, and steers with a control loop. Here is the physics, the code, and why tuning is the real lesson.

Insights· 14 Sept 2025

What age should a child start coding and robotics?

Most children are ready for block coding with hands-on hardware around age six; text languages like Python usually land best from ten to twelve. Match the tools to the child, not the calendar.

Industry News· 10 Sept 2025

Raspberry Pi Foundation says kids still need to code. Here is the stronger version of that argument

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is right that kids still need to code in the age of AI. The stronger version of the case is physical computing: code that has to move something real.

Our Journey· 06 Sept 2025

EdenX Future Ready Festival

Sheen brought sheenbot to students who attended EdenX George.

Insights· 03 Sept 2025

The robot pet project: servos, sensors and personality

A robot pet turns servos and sensors into a project kids love: build the body, then program a personality as simple idle, react and sleep states.

Insights· 01 Sept 2025

Are robotics classes worth it? What your child actually learns

Robotics classes are worth it when they teach thinking, not just assembly. Here is what your child really learns, how to spot a good class, and what to ask before you sign up.

Insights· 01 Sept 2025

Build a plant monitor: a full walkthrough

A plant monitor reads soil moisture, light and temperature, checks each against a threshold, and alerts when a plant needs attention. A full classroom build, calibration included.

Insights· 28 Aug 2025

The sensors worth buying first: a priority list for classrooms

Buy classroom robotics sensors by lessons per rand: distance first, then light, temperature and humidity, then buttons. Leave exotic sensors for later and plan for breakage.

Our Journey· 27 Aug 2025

Luban Workshop Discussion

Luban workshop initiatives discussion with CPUT.

Insights· 23 Aug 2025

Frost alerts for small farms: how they work

A frost alert is a sensor sited at plant height, a danger threshold, and a message that reaches you in time to act. Site it low, keep it powered through load shedding, and start simple.

Our Journey· 21 Aug 2025

Ecosystem Workshop

Sheen participate the potential international collaboration workshop.

Industry News· 20 Aug 2025

AeroGarden's slow shutdown: what appliance gardens teach edtech buyers

AeroGarden is winding down and its WiFi app is promised only until March 2026. The lesson for edtech buyers: buy hardware that still works offline when the vendor walks away.

Insights· 19 Aug 2025

Running a school hackathon: a step-by-step guide

A six-week plan for running a school hackathon: choosing a format, setting a theme, building teams, judging fairly, sorting hardware, and dodging the usual failure modes.

Our Journey· 16 Aug 2025

iThemba LABS Program

Interactive robotics and drone exhibition at iThemba LABS.

Insights· 08 Aug 2025

What is MicroPython and why do schools teach it?

MicroPython is real Python trimmed to run on the small chips inside robots and gadgets. Schools use it because it runs instantly and the skills carry straight over to mainstream Python.

Our Journey· 01 Aug 2025

National Science Week

Students from Brackenfell High with Councillor Higham during the demo.

Insights· 24 Jul 2025

The spare-parts strategy: the budget line every lab forgets

Spare parts are the budget line most robotics labs forget. Set aside 10-15% for spares, favour kits with individually replaceable parts, source locally, and standardise connectors.

Insights· 22 Jul 2025

Smart farming as a school subject: why agritech belongs in STEM

Agritech ties food security, real jobs and hands-on sensor data into one motivating context. Here is why smart farming makes such a strong STEM subject, and how to start.

Insights· 20 Jul 2025

Water tank monitoring: sensors that survive outdoors

The best water tank level sensor is the one that survives UV, insects and condensation. How ultrasonic, pressure and float compare, plus alert thresholds that avoid 3am false alarms.

Our Journey· 18 Jul 2025

Winter Holiday Workshop

Sheen delivers its first winter school holiday camps.

Industry News· 15 Jul 2025

Belkin is killing Wemo: lessons for anyone buying classroom tech

Belkin is ending Wemo's cloud and app on 31 January 2026. The lesson for anyone buying classroom tech: run the works-offline test before you spend, and buy tools you own, not rent.

Insights· 10 Jul 2025

Robotics for high schoolers: from toys to real engineering

High-school robotics should move past toys to real engineering: text-based Python, competitions with real stakes, a documented portfolio, and habits like version control.

Insights· 08 Jul 2025

Coding classes in Cape Town: how to compare providers

Compare Cape Town coding providers on five things: curriculum progression, class size, take-home artifacts, trial availability and price transparency. A framework and checklist.

Insights· 08 Jul 2025

Monitoring a farm without electricity or fibre

No mains and no fibre? Power sensors with the sun, carry readings over long-range LoRa radio to one LTE gateway, and design for alerts, not dashboards, so it pays for itself.

Our Journey· 04 Jul 2025

Don Podcast

Sheen have Astrovos attended coding & robotics podcast.

Our Journey· 01 Jul 2025

Techno Buzz Workshop

Sheen delivers its first sheenbot workshop at Techno Buzz.

Our Journey· 25 Jun 2025

Sans Souci School Excursion

Sheen welcomes groups from Sans Souci Girls High School.

Insights· 24 Jun 2025

pH and EC explained for teachers (and how to keep meters honest)

pH tells you how acidic your nutrient solution is; EC tells you how strong it is. Both drift, so meters need a simple calibration routine and a log a class can keep.

Insights· 27 May 2025

Solar power for classroom grow systems

Solar can power a small classroom grow system, but for most schools a wall socket with a battery backup is cheaper and simpler. Here is how to size loads, plan for load shedding and stay safe.

Insights· 24 May 2025

The FTC engineering notebook: what Inspire judges actually read

FTC judges read your engineering notebook for the story of your decisions, not its polish. Show why you made each choice, an honest iteration trail, and your team's real voice.

Insights· 14 May 2025

How to run a robotics club when you are not a computer teacher

You do not need to code to run a great school robotics club. Facilitate instead of lecturing: stay a lesson ahead, use student technicians, run projects with rubrics, and build a support network.

Insights· 13 May 2025

From blink to real project: escaping tutorial hell

Most kits stall after the blink demo. Escape tutorial hell by picking one real outcome, decomposing it, integrating two components at a time, and treating debugging as the lesson.

Insights· 11 Apr 2025

Simulators in the classroom: teaching robotics without hardware

A robotics simulator lets a whole class code, debug and do homework without a kit on every desk. When sims beat hardware, where they do not, and how to run both.

Insights· 09 Apr 2025

What 4IR actually means for South African learners' careers

Strip away the hype and 4IR means four learnable skills for SA learners: data, automation, embedded systems and directing AI, reached through subjects like Maths, Physical Sciences and IT.

Insights· 03 Apr 2025

A robotics kit with a free simulator: why it matters more than specs

A free simulator matters more than a kit's spec sheet: it powers homework without hardware, keeps lessons running when kits break, teaches one-to-many, and lets you try before you buy.

Industry News· 02 Apr 2025

The DeepSeek moment: what cheap AI means for teaching kids about it

In early 2025 a small lab showed capable AI can be cheap and open. The lesson for schools is that AI literacy now belongs with the basics, for every child, not just future engineers.

Our Journey· 29 Mar 2025

sheenbot Publish

Sheen published its first sheenbot and smart home kit bundle.

Insights· 28 Mar 2025

Geyser scheduling 101: cutting the biggest load in the house

The geyser is usually the biggest electricity user in the house. Heating water in timed blocks instead of 24/7, plus a sensible thermostat setting, is the simplest way to cut the bill.

Insights· 26 Mar 2025

A robotics lab on a shoestring: what to buy first

On a tight budget, buy fewer durable kits and share them two or three to a group, spend nothing on software, and set aside a little for spares. Here is the order that works.

Insights· 16 Mar 2025

Voice-controlled robots: offline speech recognition for kids' projects

Offline speech recognition lets a robot obey a short list of spoken commands on the device itself, with no cloud, accounts or internet. That makes it a private, reliable fit for classrooms.

Our Journey· 15 Mar 2025

Academy Opening

Sheen opens to public, providing weekly coding & robotics classes.

Insights· 09 Mar 2025

FTC in South Africa: How to Get Started

Starting an FTC team in South Africa: register through FIRST, line up mentors, plan imported parts around long lead times, budget in rand, and build a local scrimmage community.

Our Journey· 05 Feb 2025

First Public Exposure

Sheen showcased its product lineups WhalesBot to the public.