New dimension of storytelling with 360° projection in World Expo’s TechWorld

At the heart of the Osaka Expo 2025, the TechWorld pavilion stood out as a beacon of multisensory storytelling and architectural elegance. Powered by Barco projectors, the pavilion, a powerful symbol of innovation and natural beauty, captivated global audiences with a seamless, high-impact immersive experience.

Context

The World Expo is a global event that brings together countries from around the world to showcase their innovations, cultures, and visions for the future. Held every five years, it serves as a platform for immersive storytelling and technological excellence. 

The TechWorld pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai is hosted by a Taiwanese private company. Despite not being part of the national exhibitions, it is attracting considerable attention for showcasing Taiwan's presence on the global stage. 

The architectural concept of the TechWorld pavilion, titled “Mountains of the Heart,” drew inspiration from Taiwan’s majestic mountain ranges. Designed to embody the themes of “Life,” “Future,” and “Nature,” the pavilion used cutting-edge algorithms and 3D visual technology to engage visitors through all six senses - sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and even emotion.

Inside, 560 kinetic screens moved like blooming flowers, while a cylindrical theater projected vivid imagery of Taiwan’s landscapes, enhanced by forest scents and smoke effects. Visitors wore wristbands that tracked their heart rate, allowing the experience to adapt and respond to their emotional engagement. 

Challenge

Creating such a deeply immersive and technically complex environment came with significant challenges. The design required two distinct 360-degree theaters - one spiral-shaped and one cylindrical - each demanding ultra-high-resolution projection across curved, continuous surfaces. The installation space was limited, making a compact footprint essential.

Additionally, the projection systems needed to integrate seamlessly with industry-standard playback software. Reliability was also paramount, as the pavilion would operate daily for over six months, with no room for technical failure. 

Solution

Behind the scenes, ANLITOR, a leader in custom AV integration, partnered with Barco to deliver the immersive projection technology that brought the pavilion’s vision to life.

The solution included eleven F80-4K12 projectors for the spiral theater and four UDM-4K30 projectors to power the cylindrical theater, all equipped with 0.37 ultra-short throw lenses. These lenses, combined with Barco’s wide lens shift capabilities, allowed for precise installation in tight spaces without compromising image quality. The result: seamless, distortion-free visuals onto a circular canvas with  fine-tuned alignment, uniform brightness, and consistent image quality from every angle across the entire 360-degree canvas.

The system was fully compatible with Watchout and Arena Resolume, enabling smooth playback integration. But Barco’s involvement extended beyond hardware: their team provided pre-sales design consultation, on-site technical personnel, and backup projectors to ensure uninterrupted performance. This comprehensive support was critical for the high-profile, high-traffic project and gave ANLITOR the confidence to push creative boundaries with an installation that’s not only visually stunning but also operationally resilient throughout the Expo’s six-month run.

Roger Wu at ANLITOR concludes: “We chose Barco because we needed the best, and they delivered. The image quality, lens flexibility, and reliability of their projectors were unmatched. Barco’s product supremacy empowered us to realize our most ambitious ideas, bring our creative vision to life and deliver an experience that truly moved people.”

Results

The result was a triumph of immersive storytelling and technical excellence and a seamless fusion of nature and digital artistry. The TechWorld pavilion became one of the most talked-about attractions at Expo 2025, drawing thousands of visitors daily and leaving a lasting impression on audiences from around the world.

The heart-rate-responsive wristbands, synchronized visuals, and atmospheric effects created a living, breathing environment that responded to each visitor’s presence. More than just a visual spectacle, the pavilion offered a captivating multisensory journey - one that connected people to Taiwan’s natural beauty and technological innovation in a way that was both deeply personal and universally inspiring.