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: AR/VR medical imaging interfaces.
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 electrical health records (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
AR/VR medical imaging interfaces is a key innovation area in cloud
Virtual and augmented reality interfaces for medical imaging provide more realistic practice environments before performing real surgery. These are additionally useful for medical professionals to practise intricate procedures on simulated patients. The data can be used by cloud-based AR/VR applications to improve treatment by adding context to delivery specifics including orientation, the 3D location of hypothesis, and the proximity to adjacent structures.
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 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of AR/VR medical imaging interfaces.
Key players in AR/VR medical imaging interfaces – a disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry
‘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’.
Stryker, Koninklijke Philips, and Heartflow are the leading patent filers in cloud AI-enabled wearable interfaces. Some other leading patent filers include Magic Leap and Hologic.
Patent volumes related to AR/VR medical imaging interfaces
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Stryker | 73 | Unlock company profile |
| Koninklijke Philips | 68 | Unlock company profile |
| Heartflow | 58 | Unlock company profile |
| Magic Leap | 47 | Unlock company profile |
| Hologic | 43 | Unlock company profile |
| Medtronic | 38 | Unlock company profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 31 | Unlock company profile |
| Boston Scientific | 27 | Unlock company profile |
| Surgical Theater | 22 | Unlock company profile |
| Samsung Group | 22 | Unlock company profile |
| Siemens | 21 | Unlock company profile |
| Pro Medicus | 15 | Unlock company profile |
| Sony Group | 15 | Unlock company profile |
| Fujifilm Holdings | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Align Technology | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| adidas | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| General Electric | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| NovaRad | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| BrainLAB | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| International Business Machines | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Dentsply Sirona | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Shanghai United Imaging Intelligence | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Halliburton | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Panasonic | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Agfa-Gevaert | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
In terms of application diversity, Align Technology and Dentsply Sirona lead, followed by Medtronic. With regards to geographic reach, Stryker, Dentsply Sirona and Sony Group are the leading companies.
Cloud-based AV/VR digital technologies can be significantly less expensive than thick devices and should have a longer lifespan because there are no local resource constraints. Cloud-based AV/VR is used to develop intelligent medical imaging devices that can provide better and sharper images for accurate patient diagnosis, transforming the healthcare industry. Remote image disaster recovery is possible with cloud-based AV/VR image archiving, storage of massive image data, and medical image disaster recovery.
To further understand how Cloud is disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud Computing in Healthcare.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Get industry leading news, data and analysis delivered to your inbox
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.
