Picture a conference room where the walls themselves become windows into a construction site halfway around the world, or a classroom where students walk on the rings of Saturn rather than squinting at a textbook diagram. This is what happens when two companies, each already pushing the boundaries of immersive experiences, work to build something together.
Since 2024, Panasonic and Igloo Vision have been collaborating on AV tech to create shared immersive experiences aimed at education, corporate, and government clients. The partnership focuses on Igloo's 360-degree immersive environments powered by Panasonic's PT-RQ7 Series 1-Chip DLP 4K projectors. This is hardware engineered for the kind of brightness and image quality that makes wraparound projection convincing.
The partnership took its next leap at InfoComm 2025, where Igloo Vision showcased its technology across four separate booths. Panasonic's booth hosted one of those installations, dubbed the Immersive Classroom, which demonstrated how educators might lead stunning virtual field trips or visualize complex scientific concepts in real time.
This collaboration benefits organizations seeking a new approach to immersive experiences that groups can share so intuitively that the technology fades into the background.
Who Is Igloo Vision?
Igloo Vision grew out of the UK festival circuit. The company was incorporated in 2008 by a group of Shropshire-based enthusiasts who wanted better projection systems for immersive dance venues. When festival-goers with corporate backgrounds started asking about business applications, the founders pivoted toward audio visual solutions for enterprise and education markets.
The Igloo value proposition focuses on shared immersive spaces. These are 360-degree environments where teams can view, discuss, and collaborate around visualizations without wearing VR headsets. It's finally a way to put entire groups inside the same visual experience.
Since those early festival days, Igloo has expanded operations to 24 countries. Its client roster now includes Nike, Deloitte, Microsoft, FedEx, and Diageo. It has raised funding through multiple rounds. Midven was an early investor in 2011, while Frontier Development Capital provided backing in 2019 and 2021.
Panasonic and Igloo: Better Immersive Experiences, Together
Much traditional immersive technology designed for consumption in close quarters forces an uncomfortable choice. VR headsets deliver spatial awareness but isolate users from each other. Flat-screen presentations keep everyone in the same room but strip away the sense of presence that makes the immersive experience effective. The Panasonic-Igloo partnership addresses this issue by offering full 360-degree immersion without the need for headsets.
The partnership comes at a time of high demand for immersive experiences across various sectors. According to market research company Emergen, the global market for immersive technology will grow at a 27.9% CAGR through 2034. This stems from several factors. The increase in hybrid is driving a need for better collaboration tools, while companies trying to unlock the value in their data are looking for more sophisticated tools for data visualization.
There's also a strong market for visual learning, as highlighted by PwC research. VR learners completed training four times faster than classroom participants, the company announced, while enjoying more confidence in applying what they learned. Immersive training also leaves participants feeling 3.75 times more emotionally connected to the content, PwC said.
For defense and government buyers, the partnership offers another advantage: TAA-compliant solutions that meet strict procurement requirements.
The Key Hardware and Software Components
Panasonic's PT-RQ7 Series Projectors
The projectors powering Igloo's immersive environments need to do several things at once: deliver enough brightness to fill wraparound screens, produce images sharp enough to withstand close viewing, and run reliably in demanding installation scenarios. Panasonic's PT-RQ7 Series 1-Chip DLP 4K digital projector equipment checks those boxes.
Brightness comes first in any projection-mapped space. The PT-RQ7L delivers 7,500 lumens to maintain vibrant imagery, while image quality relies on Quad Pixel Drive technology, which produces smooth 4K resolution without visible pixels or gridding. That matters when audiences stand inches from projected surfaces.
The form factor helps too. At roughly 29% smaller and 22% lighter than Panasonic's previous RZ790/RZ690 models, the PT-RQ7 Series simplifies transport and rigging for multi-projector installations.
For real-time applications, the projectors support 1080/240p playback with 8ms input-to-output latency. That's fast enough for tracking projection-mapping when paired with the optional ET-SWR10 system. Reliability comes from IP5X dust protection and a filterless design rated for 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation.
Panasonic Media Production Suite
While the projectors handle display, Panasonic's Media Production Suite handles content capture and management for Panasonic-Igloo setups.
It enables production teams to control cameras and track subjects automatically during productions. They can do all of this through a single interface, which also handles video composition.
Running these functions centrally reduces the logistical strain on production teams. They can operate immersive spaces like Igloo's with fewer staff thanks to automated features. For example, they can manage pan-tilt-zoom cameras across multiple rooms, update firmware on cameras at scale, and monitor camera connections for any disruptions.
The AI features use facial recognition and human body detection for auto-tracking, following presenters without manual camera operation. The Video Mixer plug-in includes AI keying, which extracts subjects from backgrounds without requiring green screens or special lighting. That's useful for compositing presenters into immersive content on the fly.
Igloo Core Engine Software
If the projectors are the muscles of an Igloo installation, the software is the brain. Igloo Core Engine (ICE) is an operating system for immersive spaces. Igloo Vision released it at ISE 2023 after four years of development by its in-house software engineers.
The platform handles the technical complexity that would otherwise require specialized AV expertise, automatically applying real-life perspective to 3D models displayed on curved surfaces. It also integrates with a variety of content types out of the box. These include 3D content, 360-degree video, data from Matterport, and extended reality (XR) applications. It can also take content from online services such as Microsoft 365 and Google Street View.
Built-in ICE features cover a range of use cases, ranging from video conferencing and screen sharing through to livestreaming and presentations. The software comes in Essentials and Enterprise packages, with the latter offering deeper integration with corporate systems and external device control.
High-Impact Immersive Experiences Powered by Panasonic and Igloo
Panasonic and Igloo put their combined capabilities on display at two major industry events in 2025. At InfoComm 2025, Panasonic's booth 1201 featured the Immersive Classroom, a demonstration space showcasing how educators might lead virtual field trips, simulate historical events, or visualize scientific concepts with students gathered inside a 360-degree projection environment.
The defense sector got its own showcase at I/ITSEC 2025 in Orlando. Panasonic and Igloo demonstrated a TAA-compliant 5x5-meter immersive space using PT-REQ projectors and Igloo Core Engine software, controlled via Panasonic TOUGHBOOK laptops and tablets. The environment supports TS/SCI security clearance requirements and integrates with defense-grade simulation tools like MAK Technologies' MAK One synthetic environment platform.
"Life-like simulated training environments are critical to help defense professionals practice collaboration and decision-making," said Taka Uchida, chief executive officer of Panasonic Projector & Display Americas.
Industry Use Cases and Applications
The flexibility of shared immersive technology means it finds applications across sectors that might otherwise have little in common:
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Architecture and design: Teams and clients can walk through 3D renderings together, gathering real-time feedback on spatial decisions that would be difficult to convey through flat renderings.
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Enterprise training: Training is better when it's experiential. Trainees that literally immerse themselves in the material get a deeper understanding and better retention than those watching slides in a classroom.
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Education: Similarly, instructors in the education sector can immerse entire classes in science, history, or engineering simulations without strapping a virtual headset onto every student.
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Marketing and sales: Death by PowerPoint is a thing of the past as sales professionals transform product demonstrations from slide decks into immersive brand experiences.
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Energy and utilities: Teams can visualize complex infrastructure systems before they come into contact. They can conduct safety training for hazardous environments too risky or expensive to recreate physically.
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Defense and government: TAA-compliant immersive environments support mission rehearsal, tactical training, and multi-agency collaboration where security clearance matters.
Customer Benefits and Key Takeaways
Companies using immersive AV technology like the Panasonic-powered Igloo installations get to enjoy some distinct advantages:
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Collaboration: Working together is more intuitive in a shared immersive environment. It lets multiple people see and discuss dynamic content that wraps around them. They can point to specific elements within these shared environments and walk through them in ways not possible with a simple large video display.
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Engagement: It's difficult not to be engaged when you're literally inside the material. Working in Igloo Vision environments increases attention, understanding, and retention compared to traditional presentation systems.
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Scalable deployment: These needn't just be for boardrooms anymore. Igloo offers portable and permanent options designed for use elsewhere in the company, with a view to spreading their benefits to every corner of the company.
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Simplicity: The effect of an Igloo environment is impressive, but that doesn't mean it has to be complex to operate. Its single-screen interface and built-in integrations eliminates the need for specialized one-on-one training. If someone can use a phone or PC, they can operate an Igloo-powered immersive space.
A Collaborative Vision for Immersive Experiences
Immersive technology has gone from being a novelty to a practical collaborative tool. Organizations that see the Igloo Vision solution up close come away convinced that shared visual experiences drive better decisions and stronger outcomes.
Panasonic's partnership with Igloo Vision helps to take that solution even further. Powerful 4K projectors provide the brightness, and image quality needed to deliver seamless wraparound experiences, and their durability keeps it operational day after day. Thanks to Igloo's Core Engine software, this immersive technology isn't a standalone experience; it integrates tightly into enterprise environments.
Whether an organization deploys one dome or a global network of immersive rooms, the result remains consistent: shared clarity, stronger collaboration, and a better way to work together. That's immersive audiovisual technology in action, bringing people closer to content and to each other.
