dd Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics Robotics research is a multidisciplinary area which covers a wide spectrum of subjects including Artificial Intelligence, Automation Control Systems, Biomaterials and Nanotechnology. Derwent Powering IP Innovation
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 2 Table of Contents Research trends in robotics... 5 Robotics research in corporates... 10 Emerging research in robotics... 11 Global trends in patented inventions on robotics... 13 The concentration of patent institutions by country... 16 Summary and insights... 17
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 3 Author Justin Kim, Ph.D. Director Justin has deep knowledge and experience of technology innovation. He has delivered several presentations and key note speeches about technology innovation, technology trends and research landscapes in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore using patent and scientific literature information analysis. His interest areas include data analysis and interpretation to deliver insights which support better decision making.
Innovative research provides significant impact to stimulate and influence further research. The quality of research is more important than the amount produced. Robotics is a multidisciplinary area and creating innovation through adopting other technologies is critical to future development of the field. 4
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 5 Research trends in robotics Robots have been evolving since the mass production era, starting with automated machines, and they continue to be utilized in countless areas. In particular, with the advancement of robotics research, robots have been rapidly expanding their role in a broad spectrum of areas including industrial manufacturing, medical applications, agriculture and automotive sectors. Robot specifications and their areas of application continue to expand and robotics is one of the research areas focusing on these innovations. The concept of the robot originated from Greek myth, and there were attempts to develop early models in the medieval period. Research on automation really took off with the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of mass production manufacturing methods. With the evolution from automated to autonomous systems, innovative robotics research and the areas of application continue to expand globally, suggesting unlimited possibilities. Web of Science Core Collection Research Paper Database Science Citation Index Expanded Social Sciences Citation Index Arts & Humanities Citation Index Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities Book Citation Index Science Book Citation Index Social Sciences & Humanities Publication trends of robotics research 5 year average trends Trends analysis based on research papers on robotics since the 1980s; research publications sharply increased in the 2000s
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 6 Detailed research areas of robotics based on the world s top 15,000 highly cited papers Derwent Innovation Themescape map, Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016 Analysis of the world s top 15,000 highly cited papers on robotics shows that robotics has evolved in various areas including computer science, automatic control, electrical/electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomedicine. Learning: Studies on the development of robot s learning capability with artificial intelligence in recent years Machine manipulation: Studies on the movement and behavior of mechanical devices Control Algorithm: Studies on the control for scheduling/planning algorithm Medical Application: Studies on robots in medical area Man Machine Interface (MMI): Studies on the interactive communication between human and robot
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 7 93,192 The number of the global robotics research papers published in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2007~2016 Top 10 countries for robotics research publications Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016 The U.S. and China are publishing a relatively large number of research papers on robotics. Japan and Korea are also publishing large volumes of research papers and European countries are also contributing extensively to robotics research. In measuring overall research performance, the number of the impactful (highly cited) papers is becoming an important indicator as much as the number of published research papers. The analysis shows that the U.S. has dominant research impact on robot research, while China has relatively low impact considering the high volume of papers published. Germany is slightly behind Japan in terms of the numer of papers published, but has greater research impact. 0.7~0.8% of papers published in Korea and Japan, and 0.35% of papers published in China are included in the world s top 1% most cited papers. On the other hand, approximately 3% of the research papers published in the U.S. and Germany are included in the world s top 1% most cited paper papers. Highly cited papers The most cited papers, published in the last decade, which researchers are widely referencing worldwide Research performance analysis of the top 10 countries in robotics related papers Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 8 Top 1% papers The world s top 1% most cited papers during the analysis period Top 10% papers The world s top 10% most cited papers during the analysis period Research performance analysis of the top 10 countries in robotics related papers Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016 Highly cited papers : The most cited papers, published in the last decade, which researchers are widely referencing worldwide. Top 1% papers : The world s top 1% most cited papers during the analysis period. Top 10% papers : The world s top 10% most cited papers during the analysis period. Citation impact : Used as an indicator in research performance evaluation, analyzing how much the research results are cited by other researchers worldwide. Innovative and superior research is more likely to be cited by other researchers. U.S. and China are conducting significant amounts of research on robotics, while China s research impact is below the world s average level. Research impact of Asian countries has shown to be below world average, while European countries have shown relatively more research impact than world average. As recent research performance focuses more on the quality of research rather than the volume, some countries may need to focus on how to produce more influential research results.
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 9 The Category Normalized Citation Impact (CNCI) CNCI represents the normalized value of Citation Impact considering unique attributes of specific subject categories. Because research attributes as well as the global average value (1.0) varies depending on the research subject category, the level of impact citation number is calculated differently. An institution may use CNCI to assess how impactful the published research paper is compared to the global average level. CNCI information is available for researchers, institutes, and research-results from InCites. The following chart is an overall analysis of the research performance on robotics. The rank of a country and/or an institution may vary according to the specific subject area analyzed. Research performance analysis of top 10 institutes by publication volume Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016 The world s top 10 institutes are shown in the following graph from analysis based on the volume of papers on robotics research. A number of Asian institutes are ranked highly by volume of papers, but below global average for research impact, whereas U.S. and European institutes publish highly impactful research results.
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 10 Robotics research is multidisciplinary. As shown in the graph, robotics research is involved in various areas such as computer science, electric engineering, mechanical engineering, and even in medical applications. The distribution of research areas related to robotics from Web of Science (Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016) Robotics related research subject categories Web of Science Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016 Other research areas corresponding to other 1% REMOTE SENSING ENG, INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTS INSTRUMENTATION REHABILITATION NANOSCIENCE NANOTECHNOLOGY OPTICS Other research areas corresponding to other 1%. Robotics research in corporates Corporates are also actively conducting research in robotics, and automobile companies are especially active in this area. World s top 20 corporates publishing research papers on robotics Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 11 There is a growing trend for research collaboration between corporates and academic/research institutes. This provides corporates with opportunities to utilize more innovative resources outside the company, and academic/research institutes can have increased research funds. Honda is actively engaged in collaborative research with many research institutes around the world, including Japan, Europe and US. Areas of collaborative research include machine learning, gesture recognition and understanding of 3D objects with University Bielefeld. Honda also collaborates with Tokyo University of Technology for voice recognition. owns the best practice accumulated from various software developments, system integrations, and field-testings. NREC aims to develop a real system that can deliver robotics research results which they can practically utilize. For this reason, government agencies including NASA, the Pentagon (Dept. of Defense), various start-up companies and corporates are actively participating in robotics research. Researchers (professors, staffs and engineers) from Carnegie Mellon, as well as many outside institutions, are also participating and forming a multi-disciplinary environment to create innovative ideas. Emerging research in robotics Through an advanced analysis of research publication data on robotics, we can find specific subject categories that have recently become highly impactful. These research subject categories, which have been attracting researchers globally in a relatively short period, need to be watched carefully for their potential as emerging research areas. Various Projects in NREC A robot designed by a software tool A robot produced by a 3D printer Top 10 research institutes that are collaboratively researching robotics with Honda Motors Web of Science Core Collection, 2007~2016 A robot designed by a software tool then made by a 3D printer. Drag-Drop method can be used to create components from which a user can build a desired type of robot National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) is a research institute, part of the robotics institute (RIA) of Carnegie Mellon, which is responsible for researching and developing robotics. In order to advance robotic technologies from conceptual design to commercialization, NREC works closely with government, research labs, and corporates. The various projects conducted by NREC are initiated from rapid proofof-concept through developing and testing processes, to prototyping, patent application, and licensing-out. NREC The device collects various information about the surrounding environment and recognizes the surrounding objects in 3D. Particularly, research is carried out to improve recognition capabilities in adverse environments such as severe dust, mist, and rain A number of unmanned vehicles are being tested on the technology of following the lead vehicle. This
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 12 test includes recognizing the terrain and realizing the group's mission, while collaborating behaviours with other vehicles in real time. Untethered soft robot Through maxxbot developed in Swiss EPFL, each object is autonomous, but is a robot that can perform collective cooperation according to a given mission This is a robot that moves using silicone or biochemical materials instead of mechanical joints, and moves with a force such as flow pressure or chemical reaction. The robot s movement is similar to a very flexible creature, which moves around using its surrounding landscape. Considering the characteristics of living organisms, soft robots of various forms have been developed since the late 2000s and have been actively expanded in the recent 3~4 years. Bio-inspired microrobot This is a small-sized or micro-sized robot that utilizes ideas of various biological systems. This micro robot can conduct medical procedures such as targeted treatments or other missions inside a human body. There is also research on movements using different mechanisms as well as research on small robots imitating the movement of insects or other types of organisms, which can be used for military purposes. Untethered soft robot study at Harvard University Swarm Robot Swarm robot is a form of multiple robots collaboratively performing missions. Depending on the purpose or the surrounding environment, many robots collaborate to flexibly perform the missions. This technology can be applied to drones; multiple drones collaborate to perform missions by communicating with each other. In particular, robots can intelligently perform missions with the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and reflect artificial life forms, imitating living creatures behaving in groups in nature. A micro robot that is being studied in Switzerland EPFL, transformed by a laser, and moved by an electric field An analysis of recent research publications on robotics also shows that DNA origami robots using nanotechnology, ablation technology of robotic surgery using laparoscope, artificial molecular machines and more, have established a relatively high research impact in a short period of time. These research subject categories are constantly evolving into more advanced research areas.
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 13 Global trends of patented inventions on robotics Derwent Innovation/DWPI Family, 2007~2016 Global trends in patented inventions on robotics The analysis shows that inventions on robots are continuously increasing globally The number of inventions and patents An invention idea can be filed for a patent in different countries. Therefore, the number of patents can be greater than the number of inventions. The number of inventions has to be analyzed in order to determine information about innovation. Many companies and organizations around the world are publishing patent applications on robotics. According to the analysis, many Japanese companies are publishing patents; 2 automobile companies from Japan are included in the list. The list is highly populated by Asian companies including Samsung from Korea and State Grid from China. The global top 10 organizations in patented inventions on robotics Derwent Innovation/DWPI Family, 2007~2016
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 14 Patented invention portfolio map on robotics Derwent Innovation/DWPI Family, 2007~2016 The analysis above shows that patent inventions on robotics are developed in various research areas. Inventions associated with a particular technology are marked with red dots in the patented invention portfolio map. (A) is the patents of robots which are utilized on vehicles. (B) is the distribution of patents on robots used in manufacturing. (C) shows invention patents that can be used in medical devices. (D) indicates robot patents used in various electronic products. Patents on device, sensing, and software parts of robots are distributed widely regardless of the application areas. The distribution of patents on robotic inventions categorized by application of technology Derwent Innovation/DWPI Family, 2007~2016
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 15 Top 10 countries of top 1,000 institutes in patented robotic inventions Derwent Innovation/DWPI Family, 2007~2016 Amongst the top 1,000 institutes in patented robotic inventions, the analysis shows that the 524 institutes are from China. Patents also have citation measurement value based on the number of citation by other patents or the number of citations acknowledged by patent examiners. The number of citation of patents can be an indicator of impact on other patents. As shown in the analysis, many companies in the medical fields and automotive fields have a large number of impactful patents. Top 10 Companies which own the world s top 10% most cited patented robotic inventions Derwent Innovation/DWPI Family, 2007~2016
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 16 The concentration of patent institutions by country The analysis below identifies the top 1,000 companies by the number of patented robotic inventions and evaluates how the patents are distributed in the following countries. In the United States, the number of the total inventions of the top 5 institutes accounts for roughly 29% of the total inventions in the U.S. The 5 major institutes include Intuitive Surgical Operation, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, irobot, Applied Materials, and Boeing. The outstanding trait about the U.S. market is that robot surgery in the medical area holds quite a number of patents and companies in this field are ranked highly; they include IT companies, automotive and defence industry companies, such as Google, GM, IBM, Raytheon, and GE, which are aggressively pursuing technological innovation on robotics. In Japan, the number of the top 5 companies inventions accounts for about 12% of the total invention number of Japan. The 5 companies in Japan are Seiko, Toyota, Yaskawa, Honda, and Fanuc. A large number of companies are actively applying for patents. Many companies across different industries are promoting innovation of related technologies, and industries across the country are progressing with innovation in robot technologies. Since companies are the major holders of the top patents, the innovative outcomes are more likely to be used practically. In China, the number of the top 5 institutes inventions accounts for approximately 34% of all the robotic inventions. The outstanding trait of China is that there are many universities and national research institutes including State Grid, Harbin Tech, Shanghai University, Shenyang Automation Institution, and Hon Hai. Although China has a large number of patents related to robots, the number of patents that corporates hold is relatively small. However, if robot patents owned by research institutes and universities start to shift to companies, this will provide great impact on the robotics industry in a shorter period of time. In South Korea, the number of the top 5 institutes inventions accounts for about 47% of the total invention number of Korea. That means a few companies hold a large volume of patents in Korea. The 5 Korean companies include Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, ETRI, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Hyundai Motor. Patented inventions from SMEs are relatively small. KAIST, KIST, Hanyang University and other national research insitutes also actively engage in creating patented inventions on robotics.
Clarivate Analytics Scientific literature and patent analysis of robotics 17 Summary and insights Innovation and development of robot technologies is arising in various areas. Robotics, which started from the automation of past production systems, is now starting to engage in human life through the development of intelligent robots. As shown in the analysis of research and patent performance, robotics is one of the fastest growing research areas in many countries and institutes. However, there are also some challenges and room for further consideration to accelerate the development of robotics in strategic ways. Focus on innovative research area to lead development of robotics While many institutes are conducting research and aiming to become the world s top innovative organization, the innovative research results impactful enough to lead the research area are still insufficient. The quality of research is more important in leading innovation than the amount of research produced. Robotics is a multidisciplinary area and creating innovation through adopting other technologies is critical to future development of the field. For instance, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and ICT are actively integrated together in the robotics field. Therefore strategic R&D investments and efforts are needed to create advanced research results to lead the next generation s innovation in robotics. Implement multidisciplinary environment to adopt various innovative ideas into robotics With the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies, robotics now requires a variety of technologies such as software engineering, multi-media technologies, mechanical engineering, medical technologies, and background knowledge from different domains such as healthcare, transportation, and safety. As the research and inventions on robotics mature, the next phase in robotics innovation would require technologies that can seamlessly integrate multiple robots. Considering the complexity of system integration, which requires massive data processing, communication, modelling and simulation, having a strong R&D strategy that can incorporate various technologies to act in synergy across multiple research teams, would be a critical success factor in leading the robotics R&D. Close collaboration between the research community and commercial industry Academic universities or research institutes are the core source of innovation of a nation. Industry, especially, SMEs, should consider closer collaboration with research communities to absorb innovative ideas and collaboratively work together to develop ideas on robots. There are significant amounts of research and inventions being created by the research community, but transferring such knowledge to commercial industry is still limited in many countries. Researchers also need to approach industry to understand the challenges of technological development of robots. Addressing such issues can lead to a good research agenda. Identify a strategic direction for research and innovation About 30~40% of patents applied in the U.S. are being rejected for various reasons including the existence of prior art. Robotics research already has a long history and new research in various areas is being conducted all the time. Investment in innovation is always accompanied by risks and researchers must be careful not to make the mistake of repeating R&D that has already been done. For this reason, researchers and companies need to study the global research and development landscape to understand what has been done and where the white spaces worth pursuing are.
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