The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by  widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, increasing focus on personal health monitoring, the rise of chronic diseases, and the growing adoption of fitness and wellness tracking, and growing importance of technologies such as wearable physiological monitors including sensor technology, wireless connectivity, data analytics, and mobile applications. In the last three years alone, there have been over 3.6 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Internet of Things: Wearable physiological monitors. Buy the report here.

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.

300+ innovations will shape the technology industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the technology industry using innovation intensity models built on over 2.5 million patents, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, environmental sensors, digital twins, and network-on-a-chip are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Intelligent embedded systems, smart factory systems, and smart grids are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are contactless verification, wearable physiological monitors, and software defined wide area network, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for IoT in the technology industry

Wearable physiological monitors is a key innovation area in IoT

Wearable physiological monitors are wearable devices that individuals wear on their bodies to measure and monitor vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, body temperature, and other relevant metrics. These devices play a crucial role in health monitoring, diagnostics, and overall well-being assessment.

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 130+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of wearable physiological monitors.

Key players in wearable physiological monitors – a disruptive innovation in the technology 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 wearable physiological monitors

Company Total patents (2010 - 2022) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Samsung Group 426 Unlock Company Profile
NIKE 230 Unlock Company Profile
Apple 220 Unlock Company Profile
LG 152 Unlock Company Profile
Omron 150 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 134 Unlock Company Profile
Koninklijke Philips 117 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 110 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 109 Unlock Company Profile
Asahi Kasei 106 Unlock Company Profile
Huawei Investment & Holding 84 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 66 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic 59 Unlock Company Profile
Seiko Epson 55 Unlock Company Profile
Life 39 Unlock Company Profile
Microsoft 38 Unlock Company Profile
adidas 37 Unlock Company Profile
Ekso Bionics 36 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing Electronics 35 Unlock Company Profile
HealthWatch 34 Unlock Company Profile
Aliphcom 34 Unlock Company Profile
Omron Tateisi Electronics 32 Unlock Company Profile
Polar Electro 31 Unlock Company Profile
Whoop 30 Unlock Company Profile
Cyberdyne 30 Unlock Company Profile
Proxy 29 Unlock Company Profile
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne 28 Unlock Company Profile
Qualcomm 28 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 26 Unlock Company Profile
Movano 24 Unlock Company Profile
Nokia 23 Unlock Company Profile
DNAnudge 22 Unlock Company Profile
DexCom 22 Unlock Company Profile
Invivo Wines New Zealand 22 Unlock Company Profile
Stryker 20 Unlock Company Profile
Shenzhen Royole Technologies 20 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines (IBM) 19 Unlock Company Profile
Meta Platforms 18 Unlock Company Profile
Legend 18 Unlock Company Profile
Motorola Solutions 17 Unlock Company Profile
Intersections 16 Unlock Company Profile
Zimmer Biomet 15 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 15 Unlock Company Profile
Intellectual Ventures Management 15 Unlock Company Profile
Xiaomi 15 Unlock Company Profile
Casio Computer 14 Unlock Company Profile
Shenzhen Goodix Technology 14 Unlock Company Profile
Pison Technology 14 Unlock Company Profile
EW Healthcare Partners 14 Unlock Company Profile
Kyocera 13 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Samsung Group is a leading patent filer in wearable physiological monitors. One of the company’s patents describes the electronic device with a processor that can receive a user's biological signal. It can determine if the device is attached or detached from the user based on the signal and can control the operation of an I/O device accordingly.

Other prominent patent filers in the space include NIKE and Apple.    

  By geographic reach, Omron Tateisi Electronics leads the pack, followed by Boeing and Sympara Medical. In terms of application diversity, Motorola Solutions holds the top position, followed by TritonWear and Innominds Software.    

IoT innovation in wearable physiological monitors involves the development of wearable devices that can track and monitor various physiological parameters, such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and activity levels. These devices are equipped with sensors and connected to the internet, allowing users to collect real-time data about their health and well-being.  These innovations empower individuals to take charge of their health, enable remote patient monitoring, and support preventive healthcare measures.

To further understand how IoT is disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Internet of Things – Thematic Research.

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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.