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), 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 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

Surgical system user interfaces is a key innovation area in cloud

Surgical system user interfaces enable efficient surgeon-computer interaction by providing surgeons a natural and intuitive control over computers and robot-systems being used in the surgical environment. These interfaces allow surgeons to manipulate the master system while seated at a work-console and visualise the operation on a screen, thereby leading to safer and more precise surgeries as compared to the traditional manual surgery.

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 10+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of surgical system user interfaces.

Key players in surgical system user interfaces – 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 surgical system user interfaces

Company	Total patents (2010 - 2021)	Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Johnson & Johnson	245	Unlock company profile
Stryker	104	Unlock company profile
Kardium	36	Unlock company profile
Magic Leap	26	Unlock company profile
Globus Medical	24	Unlock company profile
Medtronic	20	Unlock company profile
Intuitive Surgical	17	Unlock company profile
Alcon	14	Unlock company profile
Align Technology	13	Unlock company profile
Asensus Surgical	13	Unlock company profile
BrainLAB	11	Unlock company profile
SOFAR	11	Unlock company profile
Koninklijke Philips	9	Unlock company profile
Siemens	8	Unlock company profile
Baxter International	8	Unlock company profile
NovaRad	7	Unlock company profile
ERBE Elektromedizin	5	Unlock company profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Johnson & Johnson is the leading patent filer in the surgical system user interfaces market. Some other leading patent filers include Stryker and Kardium.

In terms of application diversity, Koninklijke Philips leads, followed by Align Technology and Stryker. With regards to geographic reach, SOFAR leads, followed by Stryker and Johnson & Johnson.

Surgical system user interfaces are increasingly being adopted in surgical procedures to support surgeons perform multitude of tasks. It is an emerging field that aims at improving the speed, safety, and accuracy of surgeries. The rise in demand for minimally invasive surgery is expected to fuel the overall growth of this market.

To further understand how Cloud is disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud Computing in Healthcare - 2021.

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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.