The healthcare industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by telemedicine, real-time diagnostics, smart hospitals and access to digital therapies, and the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), robotics and data management practices. In the last three years alone, there have been over 106,000 patents filed and granted in the healthcare industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Smart fitness training system.
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 stabilising 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.
200+ innovations will shape the healthcare industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the healthcare industry using innovation intensity models built on over 443,000 patents, there are 200+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, drug delivery device security, microscopic image analysis models, and cellular imaging techniques are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Smart balloon catheters, automated immunoassay analysers, and AI-assisted MRI are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are smart fitness training system and non-invasive physiological monitoring, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry

Smart fitness training system is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
AI has revolutionised the fitness industry through smart fitness training systems that help to reach a long-term fitness goal designed with behavioural psychology in mind. AI helps to give personalised attainable workouts, diets, and performance improvement. The AI-based personal trainer uses pose estimation technology since the software understands the exercises and has more data.
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 60+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of smart fitness training system.
Key players in smart fitness training system – a disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to smart fitness training system
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Nike is one of the leading patent filers in the smart fitness training system. Some other key patent filers in the field include Adidas and Peloton Interactive.
In terms of application diversity, Superpedestrain leads the pack, followed by Motorika and Reactive Robotics . By means of geographic reach, Nokia holds the top position, followed by Amer Sports and Nike in second and third spots, respectively.
Using a sophisticated fitness training system can help us overcome our busy schedules and reach our ultimate fitness objective. Wearable devices measure oxygen saturation, heart rate, and respiration rate. Several AI-powered smartphone applications with AI assistants are currently available to provide nutrition guidance and fitness information to users.
To further understand how artificial intelligence is disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare.