March 23, 2021 Economic Development
The World Intellectual Property Organization released a new report today, saying that in recent years, the innovation of "Assistive technology" to help overcome human action, vision, and other obstacles and inconveniences has shown a "double-digit growth", and its combination with daily consumer goods has become increasingly close.
Marco El Alamein, Assistant Director General for Intellectual Property and Innovation Ecosystem, said, "At present, there are more than 1 billion people in the world who need to use Assistive technology. With the increasing trend of population aging, this number will double in the next decade."
The report entitled "WIPO 2021 Technology Trend Report: Assistive Technology" said that from continuous improvement of existing products to cutting-edge technology research and development, innovation in the field of "Assistive technology" can greatly improve the lives of people with disabilities and help them act, communicate and work in various environments. The organic combination with Consumer electronics is conducive to the further commercialization of this technology.
The report shows that among the patents issued in the first half of 1998-2020, there are more than 130000 patents related to Assistive technology, including wheelchairs that can be adjusted according to different terrains, environmental alarms, and Braille support devices. Among them, the number of patent applications for emerging Assistive technology reached 15592, including auxiliary robots, smart home applications, wearable devices for people with visual impairment, and Smartglasses. The annual average number of patent applications increased by 17% between 2013 and 2017.
According to the report, environmental technology and action function are the two most active areas of innovation in emerging Assistive technology. The average annual growth rate of patent applications is 42% and 24% respectively. Emerging environmental technology includes navigation aids and auxiliary robots in public places, while Mobile technology innovation includes autonomous wheelchairs, balance aids, intelligent crutches, "neural prosthetics" produced by 3D printing technology, And a "Wearable Exoskeleton" that can improve strength and mobility.
Human-computer Interaction
The property rights organization stated that by 2030, human-computer interaction technology will make more progress, which can help humans better control complex electronic devices such as computers and smartphones. At the same time, environmental control and hearing aid technology dominated by the human brain have also made significant breakthroughs in recent years, providing more assistance for people with hearing impairment, among which the more advanced Cochlear implant accounts for nearly half of the number of patent applications in this field.
According to WIPO, the fastest growing technology in the field of hearing is the non-invasive "Bone conduction equipment", whose annual patent applications increased by 31%, and its integration with ordinary Consumer electronics and medical technology is also strengthening.
Irene Kitsara, Information Officer of the Intellectual Property and Innovation Ecosystem Department of the Intellectual Property Organization, said, "We can now see that head-worn hearing aids approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are sold directly in general stores, and they are seen as an electronic product that can benefit people without hearing impairment, For example, "Bone conduction" technology can be used for earphones specially developed for runners.
Intelligent Revolution
Property rights organizations have stated that similar traditional product "intelligence" waves will continue to advance, such as "smart diapers" and baby feeding assistance robots, which are two pioneer innovations in the field of personal care.
Kisala said, "The same technology can also be applied to digital healthcare to help improve people's health. In the future, similar products will continue to emerge, and market competition will become more intense. Some high-priced products that have been considered niche and special purposes so far will also begin to decline in price
The analysis of patent application data by WIPO shows that China, the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea are the five major sources of Assistive technology innovation, and the number of applications from China and South Korea has increased year by year, which has begun to shake the long-term dominant position of the United States and Japan in this field.
According to WIPO, among patent applications in the field of emerging Assistive technology, universities, and public research institutions are the most prominent, accounting for 23% of the applicants, while independent inventors are the main applicants of traditional Assistive technology, accounting for about 40% of all applicants, and more than one-third of them are in China.
WIPO said that intellectual property has promoted the growth of Assistive technology innovation. At present, only one-tenth of people in the world still have access to needed assistive products. The international community should continue to promote the global innovation of Assistive technology under the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and WHO and promote the further popularization of this technology to benefit more people.
About World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization, headquartered in Geneva, is a major global forum for promoting intellectual property policies, services, information, and cooperation. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 193 member countries in developing an international intellectual property legal framework that balances the interests of all parties and meets the needs of continuous social development. The organization provides business services related to obtaining intellectual property rights and resolving disputes in multiple countries, as well as capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from the use of intellectual property. In addition, it also provides free access to exclusive intellectual property information repositories.
Post time: Aug-11-2023
