Patents

Patent applications related to robotics increased by 8% per year on average in the medical device industry since 2020

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The global medical device industry experienced an 8% increase in annual average growth rate (AAGR) in the number of robotics-related patent applications between 2020 and 2022. The total number of robotics-related grants increased by an AAGR of 16% during the same period, according to GlobalData's patent analytics database.

Notably, the number of robotics-related patent applications in the medical device industry was 7,812 since 2020, while 4,802 applications were granted.

The top five companies by filings accounted for 29% of patent applications

Analysis of patent applications by assignee shows that Johnson & Johnson filed the most robotics patents within the medical device industry since 2020. The company filed 545 robotics-related patents since 2020.

It was followed by Medtronic (314 applications), CMR Surgical (276 applications), Intuitive Surgical (242 applications) and Globus Medical (193 applications).

The top five companies by grants accounted for 33% of successful patent grants

Analysis of patent grants by assignee shows that Johnson & Johnson was granted 377 patents related to robotics within the medical device industry since 2020. It was followed by Intuitive Surgical (295 grants), Medtronic (158 grants), CMR Surgical (118 grants) and Globus Medical (111 grants).

Patent activity was driven by China with a 42% share of total patent publications

The largest share of robotics-related patent publications in the medical device industry since 2020 was held by China with 42%, followed by the US (32%) and Japan (9%).

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

GlobalData’s Patents Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official patent offices around the world. Proprietary 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.