Welcome to the RAIM, the Museum About AI and Robots That was Built by Robots

The futuristic Robot & AI Museum that opened in Seoul is an architectural marvel both in its design and how it was built. 

City skylines continue to evolve year after year with futuristic buildings popping up everywhere. But the most futuristic building of 2024 may have been nagged by the newly opened Robot & AI Museum, or RAIM, in Seoul, South Korea. The spherical structure that looks like a spaceship awaiting launch opened its doors to the public earlier this month. Even from the outside, it’s already a thing to behold.

But its sci-fi-esque design is just the tip of the iceberg. The RAIM will take visitors on a journey of discovery about the world of robots and artificial intelligence but the building itself was built with the use of robotics. 

[Hero image: Melike Altinisik Architects]

RAIM: The museum about robots built by robots

The RAIM was designed by a Turkish architecture firm named Melike Altınışık Architects. The firm said that the plan had never been to just have a futuristic-looking building. “This museum doesn’t merely house Technology; it is Technology,” said founder and the firm’s namesake Melike Altınışık in an interview with Dezeen. That’s not to say that the design wasn’t meant to be attention-grabbing. 

“When RAIM appears on Seoul’s skyline, some folks might do a double take: Wait… is that a spaceship?’” Altınışık continued. “And just like that, the adventure begins! Its bold, dynamic design beckons you inside, inviting you to explore the endless possibilities of robotics and AI.”

The white egg-shaped structure that’s reminiscent of NASA space shuttles measures 79,650 square feet and seems like it’s made of different metal panels. The architecture firm describes the design as “non-linear” to invoke the “fluidity” of robotics and AI. 

The interior is as futuristic as the exterior. Walk through the inside of the building long enough and you’ll start to think you were actually on board Star Trek’s very own USS Enterprise. The museum has a number of temporary and permanent exhibits, and unsurprisingly, has robots welcoming guests in the foyer.

While the welcoming committee are robots and there are exhibits about them, that’s not the only thing they contributed to the RAIM. Robots were also used to construct the building itself. Laser CNC machining and robot welding ensured “minimal errors and high precision”  in the construction of the exterior metal panels as per ArchDaily. The building basically “constructed itself” in a manner of speaking.

The Robot & AI Museum in Seoul, South Korea is open from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Tickets cost 2,000 Korean won (below THB 50) for adults. Those aged 19 below and 65 above can enter for free.