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The medical devices industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by 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: intelligent assistive devicesBuy 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.

Intelligent assistive devices is a key innovation area in robotics

Assistive devices include mobility aids, such as walkers, wheelchairs and crutches, equipped with sensors to notify users in dangerous situations and to communicate with others in the case of a fall, among other things. Incorporating intelligent assistive devices into eldercare may offer opportunities to reduce caregiver burden and improve healthcare services while improving the quality of life among older adults with mild to severe cognitive deficits.

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 190+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of intelligent assistive devices.

Key players in intelligent assistive devices – 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 intelligent assistive devices

Company Total patents (2010 - 2022) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Samsung Group 214 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor Corp 193 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic Holdings Corp 105 Unlock Company Profile
Evolution Technologies, Inc. 87 Unlock Company Profile
Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd 86 Unlock Company Profile
Wistron Corp 63 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing Electronics Holding Co Ltd 54 Unlock Company Profile
Funai Electric Co Ltd 53 Unlock Company Profile
JTEKT Corp 53 Unlock Company Profile
LG Corp 43 Unlock Company Profile
Parker Hannifin Corp 37 Unlock Company Profile
Otto Bock Holding GmbH & Co KG 36 Unlock Company Profile
Nabtesco Corp 35 Unlock Company Profile
Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc 34 Unlock Company Profile
ProtoStar Inc 33 Unlock Company Profile
Medline Industries Inc 30 Unlock Company Profile
Ossur hf 28 Unlock Company Profile
Suzuki Motor Corp 25 Unlock Company Profile
The Japan Wool Textile Co., Ltd. 25 Unlock Company Profile
Cyberdyne Inc 25 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor Co Ltd 23 Unlock Company Profile
GEMASA 22 Unlock Company Profile
AMG Medical Inc 22 Unlock Company Profile
Midea Group Co Ltd 21 Unlock Company Profile
Suncall Corp 21 Unlock Company Profile
Baxter International Inc 19 Unlock Company Profile
Exokinetics Inc 16 Unlock Company Profile
Schindler Holding Ltd 13 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines Corp 13 Unlock Company Profile
Sunrise Medical GmbH & Co. KG 13 Unlock Company Profile
HaptX Inc 13 Unlock Company Profile
Space Bio-Laboratories Co Ltd 12 Unlock Company Profile
Roam Robotics, Inc. 12 Unlock Company Profile
Fuji Machine Manufacturing (Europe) GmbH 11 Unlock Company Profile
Arizona Board of Regents 11 Unlock Company Profile
OPUM Technologies Ltd 11 Unlock Company Profile
Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT OY 11 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group Corp 10 Unlock Company Profile
EW Healthcare Partners 10 Unlock Company Profile
Motivo Inc 10 Unlock Company Profile
Made For Movement Group AS 10 Unlock Company Profile
medica Medizintechnik GmbH 10 Unlock Company Profile
ReWalk Robotics Ltd 9 Unlock Company Profile
FUNDACION FATRONIK 9 Unlock Company Profile
Hocoma Ag 9 Unlock Company Profile
Drive Medical Canada, Inc. 9 Unlock Company Profile
BAE Systems Plc 8 Unlock Company Profile
Continental AG 8 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor Co 8 Unlock Company Profile
Moving life Ltd 8 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Samsung Group and Toyota Motor are two of the leading patent filers in intelligent assistive devices. Some other leading patent filers include Panasonic, Evolution Technologies, Murata Manufacturing, Wistron, and Beijing Electronics.

In terms of application diversity, Baxter International leads the pack, followed by Ford Motor and AMG Medical. By geographic reach, Baxter International holds the top position, followed by Schindler and HaptX in second and third spots, respectively.

A considerable percentage of caregivers and older individuals lack access to intelligent assistive technologies (IAT) due to a variety of issues, including socioeconomic position, technology literacy, and the ongoing digital divide. Existing and upcoming IATs for caregivers and care recipients must be evaluated for their potential to benefit the overall target group.

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.

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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.