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SAM Space is the friendliest way to start coding with SAM Labs hardware. Instead of typing or reading text, you drag colourful icon blocks onto a canvas and draw lines to connect them — forming a visual flow that tells your hardware what to do. Because every block uses pictures rather than words, SAM Space is perfect for K–5 classrooms where reading ability varies.

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What You Can Build in SAM Space

SAM Space projects let you bring real-world electronics to life without writing a single line of code. Here are some things you and your students can create:
Project ideaHardware blocks involved
Light up an LED when a button is pressedButton · LED
Spin a motor faster as a slider movesSlider · DC Motor
Sound a buzzer when it gets darkLight Sensor · Buzzer
Make an RGB LED change colour on a timerTimer · RGB LED
Stop a fan when temperature rises above a limitTemperature Sensor · DC Motor
Create a traffic-light sequenceTimer · RGB LED (×3)

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Getting Started

1

Open SAM Studio

Launch SAM Studio in your browser or desktop app and sign in to your account.
2

Create a new project

Click New Project on your dashboard. Give your project a name so you can find it later.
3

Choose SAM Space

When prompted to select an environment, click SAM Space. The icon-block canvas opens automatically.
4

Drag blocks onto the canvas

Browse the block panel on the left. Drag the blocks you need — such as a Button input and an LED output — onto the canvas.
5

Connect the blocks

Click the output dot on one block and drag a line to the input dot on the next. The connection turns solid when it snaps into place.
6

Pair hardware or use virtual blocks

Turn on your SAM Labs hardware and click Connect to pair it over Bluetooth. If you don’t have physical hardware nearby, click the Virtual toggle on any block to simulate it on screen.
7

Run your program

Click the Play button. Your connected (or virtual) hardware responds to the flow you built. Press Stop when you’re done.

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Key Features

No reading required

Every block is represented by a clear icon. Young learners can build and modify programs entirely through pictures and colours.

Virtual hardware

Can’t get the physical blocks out today? Use virtual versions of every sensor and output directly on screen — no Bluetooth needed.

Visual flow logic

Draw lines between blocks to show cause and effect. Students can literally see how data travels from a sensor to an output.

Cloud auto-save

Your project is stored in the cloud and saved automatically while you work, so nothing is lost if the browser closes unexpectedly.
SAM Space saves your project automatically every 30 seconds. You’ll see a brief Saved confirmation in the top bar each time it syncs. No manual saving is needed.

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Tips for the Classroom

Start with a single connection — one input block wired to one output block — before adding more. This helps students understand cause and effect before they tackle more complex flows.
SAM Space projects can be shared with your teacher or classmates using the Share button in the top-right corner of the canvas. Anyone with the link can view (but not edit) your project.
When your students are ready to add text-based logic like loops and conditions, they can move on to SAM Blockly, which builds on the same hardware but introduces programming vocabulary through labelled code blocks.