The first month of January was full of innovation and inspiration. In part, thanks to the giant that is CES, a source of annual start-of-year booms in interest in XR innovation, from veterans to start-ups.
Ahead of the usual surge of CES-fuelled interest in XR, innovation was increasing in the AR/VR/MR landscape and beyond, according to a new report from Anaqua.
The innovation and IP management technology solutions provider recently debuted its report analyzing USPTO data and which firms are leading in general technology innovation. Anaqua found that innovation is on the rise, with patents increasing 6% to 368,597 over the past 12 months, covering a range of technologies, not just XR.
Notably, the report found that VR patents are one of the most commonly granted USPTO patents. Moreover, XR-related technologies, including AI and 5G, are also leading this race.
According to the report, other notable areas of USPTO innovation include semiconductor technology, medical-related patents, program control units, unauthorized user detection technologies, chemical-related technologies, wireless, and electric vehicles.
Speaking on the range of interconnected innovation, Shayne Phillips, Director of Analytics Solutions at Anaqua, said:
Increases in semiconductor and AI granted patents in particular signal a healthy invention ecosystem that spans industries.
XR, AI, and emerging technologies are evolving in an interconnected ecosystem. For example, at CES, firms like NVIDIA showcase how portfolios of different emerging solutions are coming together to create the future of work. The recent Anaqua report highlights this parallel growth, which includes VR.
Even on the headset side, new devices from Meta, Samsung, and others use AI integrations to supercharge wearable and adoption.
Bob Romeo, CEO of Anaqua explained:
The increase in global patent activity points to an encouraging sign of companies’ continued investment in emerging technologies.
Is Samsung Leading XR Innovation?
Obviously, the patent does not only cover XR. As stated, the recorded patent covers innovation from various technology sectors.
Readers should keep this at the front of their minds when reviewing the report’s highlighted leaders in innovation.
Namely, Anaqua showcased how Samsung Electronics filled 10,427 granted patents. With Samsung’s massive reach, this covers an incredibly broad range of technologies. However, with 2024’s history of Samsung securing patents for XR technology, XR sector innovation most likely makes up a portion of this lead.
Other leading innovation firms include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) with 4,127 granted patents, LG Corp with 3,987, Qualcomm with 3,474, and Apple with 3,437 granted patents.
While Samsung has yet to enter the XR headset market, its innovation in tomorrow’s technology is key. XR is a growing part of that journey, with the firm’s pockets deep in innovation across the board – notably in South Korean hyperconnectivity – an ecosystem to support emerging technology is becoming apparent as the age of Moohan arises.
