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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 Artificial intelligence in medical: smart ventilatorsBuy the report here.

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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.

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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.