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 Cloud in Healthcare: Active shape model segmentation.
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, software as a medical device (SaMD), augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) medical imaging interfaces, and automated clinical documentation are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Medical image display devices, 3D modelling and rendering, and AI-assisted electronic health record (EHR) are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are wearable fitness monitors and medical device secure data transmission, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for cloud in the healthcare industry
Active shape model segmentation is a key innovation area in cloud
Active shape model (ASM) is a segmentation algorithm that employs a statistical shape model to restrict segmentations to "realistic" shapes. This allows for the strong segmentation of organs with low contrast relative to surrounding tissues. ASMs iteratively morph to fit a fresh image containing an example of the object. The approach has been widely applied to facial, mechanical, and medical image analysis (in 2D and 3D).
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 80+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of active shape model segmentation.
Key players in active shape model segmentation – 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 active shape model segmentation
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Heartflow is the leading patent filer in the active shape model segmentation. Some other leading patent filers include Koninklijke Philips and Stryker.
In terms of application diversity, Magic Leap leads, followed by Varex Imaging and EchoNous. With regards to geographic reach, MyFiziq leads, followed by Stryker and Siris Medical.
The ASM application aids in the analysis of the data stored on remote servers. In order to detect any pathology that may be present, the ASM divides the image into numerous possible shapes and robustly segments organs with low contrast to the neighbouring structure.
To further understand how Cloud is disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud Computing in Healthcare.
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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.
