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 Wearable Tech in Healthcare: Remote neuro-stimulation devices.
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 443,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the healthcare industry, there are 200+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Remote neuro-stimulation devices is a key innovation area in wearable tech
Remotely controlled neurostimulation devices are programmable medical devices that transport electrical stimulation to particular regions of the patient’s brain, peripheral nervous system or spinal cord for the treatment of a variety of conditions, such as movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy.
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 70+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of remote neuro-stimulation devices.
Key players in remote neuro-stimulation devices – 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 remote neuro-stimulation devices
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Koninklijke Philips is one of the leading patent filers in the field of Remote neuro-stimulation devices. Some other key patent filers in the field include Magic Leap, Panasonic, and Samsung Group.
In terms of application diversity, Magic Leap leads the pack, followed by Liminal Sciences and Microsoft, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Liminal Sciences held the top position, while Oncomfort and British American Tobacco followed in second and third spots, respectively.
There is currently no treatment for many neurological diseases, hence neurotechnology advancements are crucial. When medication or injections cannot reduce pain, remotely controlled neurostimulation devices disrupt the pain signals that are transferred from the spinal cord to the brain to provide relief. This device specifically targets the location where patient is experiencing pain, as opposed to oral drugs that are distributed throughout the entire body.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on 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.
