There has been a hefty growth in the number of patent applications for smart devices in recent times: 54 per cent. That's a lot more than the overall growth in the number of patent applications. Indeed, that rose by 7.65 per cent. According to the European Patent Office, the figures show that the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is definitely breaking through.
The European Patent Office (EPO), together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute, conducted research on patents and published the results in the report "Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)". This used extensive patent information and the expertise of patent examiners.
More broadly, the EPO estimates that by 2025, 26 to 30 billion of household appliances and devices used in the workplace will have sensors, processors and built-in software and be connected to the Internet of Things.
Various patents
In total, the EPO found over 48,000 patent applications filed up to the end of 2016 related to the fourth industrial revolution. The applications were divided into three categories:
'core ICT technologies', which revolve around hardware, software and connectivity that enables the creation of connected devices. The second category includes 'enabling technologies', solutions that complement the core technologies, such as artificial intelligence (ki), user interfaces, analytics, 3d systems, positioning, energy sources and security.
Third, patents are distributed within 'application areas'. These include enabling technologies for vehicles, businesses, homes, personal devices, infrastructure and manufacturing environments.
Analysis of European patent applications for smart devices up to 2016 shows that figures started to rise rapidly in all three 4IR sectors in the mid-1990s.
Germany and France
According to the researchers, in Europe, the countries Germany and France lead the way in terms of inventions for the fourth industrial revolution. 'Germany is leading in application areas such as vehicles, infrastructure and manufacturing, while France is a leader in supporting technologies such as artificial intelligence, security, user interfaces and 3D systems.'
"In terms of regions, Paris (Île-de-France) and Munich (Oberbayern) are the leading European locations for technologies deployed in the fourth industrial revolution," said the researchers. .
It further reveals that between 2011 and 2016, 25 companies, mostly from Asia, filed about half of all 4IR patent applications at the EPO. The research proves that innovation in core technologies is mainly carried out by a limited number of large companies focusing on ICT, while inventions for supporting technologies and application areas are less concentrated. The main applicants in those sectors come from different industries.
By: Pim van der Beek/Kelly Bakker
Source: Computable
