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.

180+ innovations will shape the aerospace and defence industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the aerospace and defence industry using innovation intensity models built on over 262,000 patents, there are 180+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, machine learning for autonomous navigation, battery thermal management system, and satellite image mosaicing are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. 3D image segmentation, AV on-board control systems, and lidar for 3D object detection are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas is sensor-guided aiming assists, which is now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the aerospace and defence industry

Collision avoidance for robots is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence

Collision detection is the act of looking in the vicinity of the robot and looking for the presence of a collision, and then manoeuvring appropriately.

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 aerospace and defence companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of collision avoidance for robots.

Key players in collision avoidance for robots – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defence 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 collision avoidance for robots

Company	Total patents (2010 - 2021)	Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Brain	57	Unlock company profile
LG	33	Unlock company profile
FedEx	33	Unlock company profile
Toyota Motor	17	Unlock company profile
Samsung Group	16	Unlock company profile
Xiaomi	15	Unlock company profile
X Development	13	Unlock company profile
Walmart	12	Unlock company profile
General Electric	9	Unlock company profile
Toro	7	Unlock company profile
Vorwerk	7	Unlock company profile
Qualcomm	6	Unlock company profile
Huawei Investment & Holding	5	Unlock company profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Brain is one of the leading patent filers in collision avoidance. The company provides autonomous robotic solutions and is committed to ensuring safe operation of robotics through AI. The central purpose of Brain’s technology is robotic vacuum cleaners, though it can be leveraged for other uses. Toyota is also a leading company in the sector since it has filed patents, which utilise radar and camera technology to mitigate the risks of rear end collisions, using AI to analyse the images, and recognise a potential collision.

In terms of application diversity, Qualcomm leads the innovation, followed by Huawei and General Electric. By geographic diversity, Xiaomi is the leading company, followed by General Electric and Samsung Group.

There are numerous commercial applications for this technology, but collision avoidance is necessary for all autonomous robots and military technology will require the same systems in order to operate.

To further understand how artificial intelligence is disrupting the aerospace and defence industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Aerospace and Defense – 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.