1. Concept and characteristics of virtual reality technology

Virtual reality (VR) is a human-machine interface that can naturally interact with a computer-generated virtual environment. It integrates computer graphics technology, multimedia technology, network technology, human-computer interaction technology, sensor technology, stereo display technology and simulation technology and other scientific technologies. Through VR devices, users can interact with virtual reality. Virtual reality technology has the following three main characteristics.

(1) Immersion. It refers to the use of computer-generated three-dimensional images, so that users feel surrounded by the virtual world, as in another world or environment, giving people a sense of immersive experience. At the time of immersion. To consider the user's visual immersion, tactile immersion, auditory immersion, smell immersion and taste immersion.

(2) Interactivity. In a virtual environment, people can interact with objects in the virtual world through sensing devices. For example, when users touch and grab objects in a virtual environment with their hands, they should get the same feeling as in real life.

(3) Conception. Virtual environments help users learn or understand existing or unknown transactions by immersing them in new knowledge.

2. History and research status of virtual reality technology

Virtual reality (VR) was born in the 1960s and is now a big step up from its original prototype. But in essence, there is not much innovation. At present, virtual reality technology still focuses on deceiving the user's vision, but other senses are not fully immersed.

2.1 History of virtual Reality technology

The history of virtual reality technology can be divided into four stages: the first stage is before 1963, which belongs to the beginning of the emergence of virtual reality technology ideas; The second stage is near 1963 to 1972, which is the embryonic stage of virtual reality technology. During this period, the first interactive electronic game appeared. The third stage is from 1973 to 1989, which is the development period of virtual reality technology. The fourth stage, from 1990 to now, is the period when the theory of virtual reality technology is further developed and widely applied.

The first stage is the beginning of the emergence of virtual reality technology ideas. In 1929, a man named Edward Link designed a simulator that would help pilots train. It gives the rider the sensation of being in the air in a plane. More than 20 years later, in 1956, Morton Heileg developed a motorcycle simulator called The Sensorama, which had a three-dimensional display and stereo effect that produced vibrations and a sense of wind.

The second stage is the embryonic stage of virtual reality technology. In 1965, lvan Sutherlan, the father of us computer graphics, published his paper UltimateDisplay, which defined the concept of the "UltimateDisplay". These rules set the direction for virtual reality technology, which is still in use today. Three years later, in 1968, Lvan Sutherlan organized at Harvard University to develop the first computer-graphic-driven helmet-mounted display (HMD) and head-position tracking system. Limited to the technology of the day, the device was able to show only simple things. In 1972, the first interactive video game, Pong, appeared. Since then, virtual reality technology has entered the market.

The third stage is the development period of virtual reality technology. In 1987 Jaron Lanier, the father of virtual reality, coined the term "Vitual Teally ". Since then, virtual reality technology has finally had a name of its own. After 1987, Nintendo, Sega and other large companies began to launch their own virtual reality devices. But because of the ideology of the time and the size of the users, they were ultimately buried in history. However, many of their ideas provide new ideas and design concepts for today's virtual reality devices.

The fourth stage is the period when the theory of virtual reality technology is further developed and widely applied. During this period, more and more people sensed the huge business opportunities in this field, and more and more large companies joined to cut a piece of the cake, such as Toshiba, SONY, Google and so on. Now, VR devices pay more attention to the user experience, and at the same time, take into account the price and portability. During this period, standalone VR devices for personal use were also introduced. In the mall, you can also see a variety of VR experience halls. Many game companies have come up with their own famous IPs, such as Capcom's Resident Evil 7. In some other fields, virtual reality technology has also received attention, such as the virtual Imperial Palace developed by the State Key Laboratory of Psychology of Zhejiang University.

2.2 Research status of VIRTUAL reality technology

Since the development of virtual reality technology, the new results have been a significant improvement over the original samples. However, from the perspective of innovation, its nature does not have many bright spots worth discussing. At present, in terms of expression, virtual reality technology still concentrates on deceiving the user's visual sense, while for other senses, it does not achieve the effect of complete immersion.

The birthplace of virtual reality technology is the United States. At the moment, the US is focusing on four main areas: user interface, perception, back-end software and hardware. In the research and development of virtual reality technology, another country with a certain strength is Japan. At present, the research in Japan is mainly focused on building a large-scale VR knowledge base.

There is still a big gap between the research and development of virtual reality technology in China and that in America and Japan. But authorities and some scientists are starting to take the field seriously. Some key universities in China have launched relevant courses and given strong support to those who have ideas and creativity. There are also many units and enterprises that have studied virtual reality in different fields, and have achieved certain research results successfully.

3. Problems in the development of VR virtual reality technology

3.1 Hardware technology is immature

With the rapid development of virtual reality technology, the penetration rate of virtual reality technology is not high due to the impact of multiple factors such as cost, technology level, hardware level and screen technology, which leads to the unsatisfactory experience effect of virtual reality technology, and users also worry about whether it will cause damage to their health. In general, the market size of China's existing VR hardware devices is still in the development stage, and the VR technology level is still at the initial stage. The application proportion of VR technology components is relatively low in the industry. Meanwhile, some VR hardware devices occupy a large area and lack aesthetics, so they cannot provide users with better services.

3.2 High production cost

The production cost of virtual reality games and their application in various fields, as well as the production cost of related hardware and software are relatively high. A complete set of virtual reality devices (including external wore a equipment, display, holographic lens, etc) in tens to hundreds of thousands of yuan between, for the vast majority of consumer groups or unbearable, and lack of follow-up content of related software make the lack of innovation and the immature of the industrial mechanism are further restrictions on the marketization of VR related products and further promoting the development of the business.

4. Development trend of VR virtual reality technology

4.1 Market scale expansion

With the rapid innovation of virtual reality technology, the society has a strong demand for this technology, and the difficulties and development bottlenecks of this technology will be gradually solved. At present, the cost of virtual reality technology in China is relatively high, so users must pay high costs in terms of hardware facilities and software in order to obtain better visual experience and game experience, which is negatively correlated with the income structure of residents in China, presenting a contradictory situation. At the same time, the main application areas of the technology are games and film entertainment, military, medical and other advanced fields of application degree is not high.

4.2 Development planning

In the future, THE application scope of VR technology will be more extensive, and the dependence of various social sectors on VR technology is bound to be deepened, so as to meet the needs of industry. The current social capital attaches great importance to virtual reality technology and should pay attention to the research and development of VR technology. The state also attaches great importance to providing advanced guidance for industrial development. Enterprises should also gradually build a business model that meets the market demand, pay attention to the optimization of service model, and effectively realize the diversified needs of users. From the perspective of national strategy, virtual reality technology is an important technology. Its rapid development and popularity are of great significance for optimizing industrial structure, upgrading industrial chain, and promoting the gradual maturity of virtual reality-related industries. In the future national culture medium and long-term science and technology development plan, the state should constantly improve the guidelines for the research and development of virtual reality technology, formulate a long-term plan from a strategic height, improve the investment plan, and provide practical needs for the development of enterprises to provide political support for industrial progress.

5. Application of virtual reality technology in the future

The prospect of virtual reality technology is very broad. At present, it has a bright performance in military, education, medical treatment, entertainment and other fields. With the deepening of the research, there will be more and more applicable fields in the future.

5.1 Applications in the military field

The military aspect needs to involve the manpower, the material, the environment and so on many aspects influence. It is necessary for us in times of peace to prepare for the rainy day. The current society is an information age, the war should be more information. Using virtual reality technology, people can simulate any terrain in the world, and then carry out individual soldier simulation training with other technologies, so as to make the acting content more realistic and enhance the combat ability of soldiers.

5.2 Application in education

Think of a history lesson where teachers and students take a VR device and experience those magnificent times up close. Virtual reality technology can provide us with a more realistic learning environment so as to deepen students' learning process. Personal experience and feeling are more persuasive than empty preaching. Using virtual reality technology, we can virtualize traditional physics, biology, chemistry and other laboratories, and select corresponding teaching equipment and teaching environment according to the teaching content, reducing the pressure of teachers' preparation before class.

5.3 Application in the field of entertainment

The development of the entertainment field should be the fastest growing, most extensive and most profitable field at present. At present, there are a variety of game devices on the market, and there are many corresponding games. In the 5D cinema, wind, rain and shaking can be realized through the simulation of equipment. In the future, wearables will shrink even further, eventually to just the size of glasses or helmets. Through wearing the device, it can carry out complete virtual stealth and be fully integrated into games, movies and so on. There, people live as if in another real world.

6. Conclusion

As a rapidly developing subject, the computer field has not changed much compared with the beginning. Due to the influence of other disciplines, virtual reality technology still has a long way to go. How to popularize virtual reality technology is also an important problem. High price and defective use experience need to be improved.

At present, the corresponding legal norms are not complete. How to prevent illegal operation in the virtual reality world is also an important issue facing people. However, with the rapid development of virtual reality technology and the continuous progress of various disciplines, VR will be more integrated into every aspect of our lives. This opportunity provided by VR technology will bring revolutionary development to relevant industries.