The medical devices industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by an increased need for homecare, preventative treatments, early diagnosis, reducing patient recovery times and improving outcomes, as well as a growing importance in technologies such as machine learning, augmented reality, 5G and digitalization. In the last three years alone, there have been over 710,000 patents filed and granted in the medical devices industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Robotics in medical: guided robotic cathetersBuy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 155,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the medical devices industry, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Guided robotic catheters is a key innovation area in robotics

Guided robotic catheters are navigation systems that help surgeons perform complex procedures through minimally invasive techniques and image guidance while improving the quality and outcome of procedures.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies.  According to GlobalData, there are 60+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of guided robotic catheters.

Key players in guided robotic catheters – a disruptive innovation in the medical devices industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to guided robotic catheters

Company Total patents (2010 - 2022) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Johnson & Johnson 487 Unlock Company Profile
Becton Dickinson and Co 241 Unlock Company Profile
Koninklijke Philips NV 222 Unlock Company Profile
Intuitive Surgical Inc 220 Unlock Company Profile
Abbott Laboratories 159 Unlock Company Profile
Medtronic Plc 132 Unlock Company Profile
ASAN Foundation 32 Unlock Company Profile
Robocath SAS 25 Unlock Company Profile
Olympus Corp 25 Unlock Company Profile
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 22 Unlock Company Profile
Moray Medical 21 Unlock Company Profile
Avanos Medical Inc 19 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens AG 18 Unlock Company Profile
ClearPoint Neuro Inc 18 Unlock Company Profile
Stent Tek Ltd 15 Unlock Company Profile
Canon Inc 14 Unlock Company Profile
XACT Robotics Ltd 14 Unlock Company Profile
Cardioguidance Biomedical LLC 12 Unlock Company Profile
Cardionxt Inc 11 Unlock Company Profile
Medipixel 11 Unlock Company Profile
Asan Social Welfare Foundation 9 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens Healthineers AG 8 Unlock Company Profile
Shanghai MicroPort EP MedTech Co Ltd 8 Unlock Company Profile
Stryker Corp 8 Unlock Company Profile
CoapTech LLC 7 Unlock Company Profile
ReShape Lifesciences Inc 7 Unlock Company Profile
ENvizion Medical Ltd 7 Unlock Company Profile
Navisonics Inc 7 Unlock Company Profile
Avinger Inc 6 Unlock Company Profile
Francis Medical Inc 6 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic Holdings Corp 5 Unlock Company Profile
Cook Group Inc 5 Unlock Company Profile
Lucent Medical Systems Inc 5 Unlock Company Profile
Surgi-Vision Inc 5 Unlock Company Profile
FBGS Technologies GmbH 4 Unlock Company Profile
NDR Medical Technology Pte Ltd 4 Unlock Company Profile
Flip Technologies Limited 4 Unlock Company Profile
Mega Medical Co Ltd 4 Unlock Company Profile
InterVene Inc. 4 Unlock Company Profile
catheter precision Inc 4 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing Chest Hospital 3 Unlock Company Profile
Boston Scientific Corp 3 Unlock Company Profile
MicroPort Scientific Corp 3 Unlock Company Profile
Shanghai Operation Robot Co Ltd 3 Unlock Company Profile
Micronix Pty. Ltd. 3 Unlock Company Profile
Mentice AB 2 Unlock Company Profile
Dib Ultranav Medical LLC 2 Unlock Company Profile
Irresistible Materials Ltd. 2 Unlock Company Profile
Children’s National Health System 2 Unlock Company Profile
AngioDynamics Inc 2 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Johnson & Johnson the leading patent filer in the field of guided robotic catheters. Some other key patent filers in the field include Becton Dickinson, Koninklijke Philips, Intuitive Surgical, and Abbott Laboratories.

In terms of application diversity, Mentice leads the pack, followed by Irresistible Materials and Panasonic. By geographic reach, Robocath holds the top position, followed by ClearPoint Neuro and Stent Tek in second and third spots, respectively.

With the help of guided robotic catheters, interventional procedures can be performed faster and with less radiation exposure, as compared to traditional catheterisation. Robotic catheterisation tools enable medical personnel to influence the target tissue and aid in the distribution of drugs or antibiotics to fend against infections and disease. In the near future, these systems will drive a push towards procedures done by surgeons off-site and separated from the patients themselves.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the medical devices industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Robotics in Medical Devices.

GlobalData

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.