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 Artificial intelligence in medical: smart ventilators. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
30+ innovations will shape the medical devices industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the medical devices industry using innovation intensity models built on over 155,000 patents, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, 4D computed tomography, AI in genetic testing, and CT scan analysis are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Predictive medical diagnostics, AI in endoscopy, and 3D surgical navigation are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas is smart drug delivery devices, which is now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the medical devices industry
Smart ventilators is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
Smart ventilators are adaptable, IoT-enabled medical equipment that assist or replace a patient's spontaneous breathing. Smart ventilators, which are replacing normal ventilators, operate using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, allowing healthcare professionals to monitor a patient's condition remotely.
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 90+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of smart ventilators.
Key players in smart ventilators – 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 smart ventilators
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| ResMed Inc | 347 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Koninklijke Philips NV | 204 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd | 148 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Medtronic Plc | 72 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Dragerwerk AG & Co KGaA | 65 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Vyaire Medical Inc | 56 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Air Liquide SA | 48 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Becton Dickinson and Co | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Getinge AB | 39 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co Ltd | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Senzime AB | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Teijin Ltd | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| General Electric Co | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Loewenstein Medical Technology Gmbh Co Kg | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NovaResp Technologies Inc | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| BMC Medical Co Ltd | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Asahi Kasei Corp | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Loewenstein Medical Technology SA | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Teleflex Inc | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CareFusion Corp | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Art Medical Ltd | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CareFusion 207, Inc. | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| The ODP Corp | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Autonomous Healthcare Inc | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mermaid Care A/S | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nihon Kohden Corp | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Freespira Inc | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Ltd | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PhysioAssist SAS | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Linde plc | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Apex Medical Corp | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Lungpacer Medical Inc | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intersurgical Ltd. | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Baxter International Inc | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Oxypoint NV | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Omron Corp | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Trudell Medical International | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| GE HealthCare Technologies Inc | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Boston Scientific Corp | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Third Pole Inc | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| 3M Co | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mhs Care-Innovation LLC | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shenzhen Mindray Scientific Co., Ltd. | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Pulmonetic Systems, Inc | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Hospital Albert Einstein | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanjing Chenwei Medical Equipment Co Ltd | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
ResMed is the leading patent filer in smart ventilators. Some other leading patent filers include Koninklijke Philips, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Medtronic and Dragerwerk.
In terms of application diversity, 3M leads the pack, followed by Linde and Freespira. By geographic reach, Senzime holds the top position, followed by Air Liquide and Teleflex in second and third spots, respectively.
Smart ventilators will revolutionize the standards of intensive medical care, dominating conventional ventilators, as they allow anyone to connect the ventilator to a patient, and healthcare professionals can monitor the vitals remotely.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the medical devices industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Medical Devices.
Premium Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
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.
