Samsung has opened its own museum celebrating electronic innovations throughout history. The Samsung Innovation Museum, or SIM for short, will consist of three distinct exhibition sections showing the past, present and future of electronics innovation. The opening marks the 45th anniversary of Samsung's formation, according to The Verge.
The newly opened SIM is situated in Samsung Digital City in Suwon, South Korea, where it takes up five floors of a gleaming skyscraper and offers nearly 11,000 square metres of floor space. Visitors can enjoy learning about the rich history of electronics from the pioneers of Faraday and Edison through to the near future, which is obviously seen with a particularly strong Samsung flavour. Halls 1 and 2 teach visitors about over 150 historical electronic items while Hall 3 shows the current state of the art and visions of future innovations.
"The Samsung Innovation Museum brings together some of the true historical masterpieces of electronics innovation. These inventions laid the technological foundation that allowed us to develop and refine products that enhance lives today," said Oh-Hyun Kwon Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics at the official opening. "The museum gives visitors an opportunity to see where we’ve come from and also see where Samsung draws inspiration from to continue to create category defining products."
Hall 1 - artefacts
Samsung has on show original models of the following:
- Leyden Jars, Pieter van Musschenbroek, 1745
- Guglielmo Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph "Maggie", 1896
- Edison early filament lamp, 1900's
- Maytag electric washing machine no.45, 1911
- GE Monitor Top Refrigerator, 1929
Also there are accompanying videos for these five important inventions. In this hall we also see the rise of corporate innovators including the likes of Philips and NEC.
Hall 2 - present
Hall 2 moves visitors nearer to the present day with its focus upon semiconductors, displays and mobile technology. Among the exhibits browsers will find products from the not so distant past by the likes of Intel, Sony and Nokia – and this is where we start to see a proliferation of Samsung products. (No Apple iPhones or any LG products though, according to The Verge).
Hall 3 – Samsung future
Hall 3 is subtitled 'The Age of Creation' and as you might expect, given it is the future, Samsung's predictions feature a lot of lots own products. Engadget calls this section "an out-and-out Samsung promotion". This part of the museum showcases Samsung's range of solutions for Retail, Healthcare, Hospitality, Government, Finance, Enterprise Mobility and Education and allows visitors to test and interact with these products. Also there is the SIM Theatre featuring a 180-degree UHD panorama screen from which you can learn about the future with Samsung.
Samsung hasn't forgotten to squeeze in a gift shop for visitors keen to remember their visit. Among the wares you can purchase is Chelsea FC merchandise… The SIM is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm. For any days except for Saturday you are required to make a reservation to visit.
