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, and growing importance of technologies such as machine learning, augmented reality (AR), 5G and digitalization. In the last three years alone, there have been over 230,000 patents filed and granted in the medical devices industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Virtual and augmented reality in medical: AR-guided surgical navigationBuy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 165,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the medical devices industry, there are 35+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

AR-guided surgical navigation is a key innovation area in virtual and augmented reality

AR-guided surgical navigation is a technology that uses augmented reality to provide real-time guidance and visualization to surgeons during surgical procedures. AR overlays digital information onto the surgeon’s view of the patient, allowing them to see things such as 3D models of internal organs and surgical tools in real-time.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each AR-guided surgical navigation and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 70+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established medical devices companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of AR-guided surgical navigation.

Key players in AR-guided surgical navigation – 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 AR-guided surgical navigation

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Smith & Nephew 132 Unlock Company Profile
Stryker 102 Unlock Company Profile
Magic Leap 82 Unlock Company Profile
Globus Medical 61 Unlock Company Profile
Johnson & Johnson 50 Unlock Company Profile
Medtronic 48 Unlock Company Profile
OnPoint Medical Diagnostics 32 Unlock Company Profile
Vicarious Surgical 32 Unlock Company Profile
Align Technology 18 Unlock Company Profile
Surgalign 17 Unlock Company Profile
Aris MD 17 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens Healthineers 16 Unlock Company Profile
Zimmer Biomet 16 Unlock Company Profile
Seiko Epson 16 Unlock Company Profile
Warner Bros. Discovery 15 Unlock Company Profile
BrainLAB 15 Unlock Company Profile
Surgical Theater 11 Unlock Company Profile
MediView XR 10 Unlock Company Profile
Arspectra Sarl 10 Unlock Company Profile
Dentsply Sirona 9 Unlock Company Profile
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation 9 Unlock Company Profile
Augmedics 9 Unlock Company Profile
Elbit Systems 9 Unlock Company Profile
Intuitive Surgical 9 Unlock Company Profile
Ivoclar Vivadent 9 Unlock Company Profile
Alcon 9 Unlock Company Profile
NovaRad 8 Unlock Company Profile
Beyeonics Surgical 8 Unlock Company Profile
Terumo 8 Unlock Company Profile
Honeywell International 7 Unlock Company Profile
Taiwan Main Orthopaedics Biotechnology 7 Unlock Company Profile
Roper Technologies 6 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 6 Unlock Company Profile
Novartis 6 Unlock Company Profile
PrecisionOS Technology 5 Unlock Company Profile
MiRus 5 Unlock Company Profile
Becton Dickinson 5 Unlock Company Profile
BHS Technologies 5 Unlock Company Profile
TROPHY 4 Unlock Company Profile
Enovis 4 Unlock Company Profile
B. Braun Melsungen 3 Unlock Company Profile
X-Nav Technologies 3 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens 3 Unlock Company Profile
Jgb Collateral 3 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines 3 Unlock Company Profile
Tietronix Software 2 Unlock Company Profile
bredent 2 Unlock Company Profile
Mentor Acquisition One 2 Unlock Company Profile
Medivis 2 Unlock Company Profile
Koninklijke Philips 2 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Smith & Nephew and Stryker are two of the leading patent filers in AR-guided surgical navigation. Some other key patent filers in the field include Globus Medical, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic.

In terms of application diversity, Seiko Epson leads the pack, while International Business Machines (IBM) and Roper Technologies stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Smith & Nephew held the top position, followed by Vicarious Surgical and Aris MD.

AR-guided navigation is poised for growth due to its potential to enhance precision, offer personalized treatment, enable minimal invasion, and improve surgical training. Furthermore, remote assistance allows experts to collaborate and improve the quality of care. Finally, as AR surgical navigation evolves, it may become more cost effective, making this advanced technology more accessible to hospitals and other healthcare institutes.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the medical devices industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Augmented Reality 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.