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. UAVs requires flight control software, as well as hardware components which allow a degree of autonomous control as well as human operator control. To further understand how the Internet of Things is disrupting the aerospace and defence industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Thematic Research - Internet of Military Things.Hitachi Ltd Denso Corp KDDI Corp Secom Co Ltd SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd View allĪccording to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 262,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the aerospace and defence industry, there are 180+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.ĭrone flight control systems is a key innovation area in robotics The patents in this sector largely focus on precision control, providing operators with greater capabilities when piloting drones and also enhancing the capabilities of existing drones. By geographic reach, SZ DJI Technology has the top position, followed by KDDI and Technicka Univerzita V Kosiciach. Hitachi and NEC took the second and third positions, respectively. In terms of application diversity, KDDI is the largest company, investing in technology to advance a variety of infrastructure. Some other key patent filers in the drone flight control industry include NEC, Denso, Secom and Hitachi. The company is developing a variety of infrastructure including technology that will streamline the delivery process and automate it where possible. KDDI is the second largest patent filer and has consolidated its industry position by developing technology that will enable a single operator to control multiple drones at a time. Its miniature series of drones as well as photography drones require precise control, and this is the motivation behind filing patents in this sector. The company makes a number of commercial drones including camera drones designed to produce high-quality images. SZ DJI Technology is the leading patent filer in drone flight control systems. Patent volumes related to drone flight control systems 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.
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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.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. In the last three years alone, there have been over 174,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defence industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Internet of Things in Aerospace, Defence & Security: drone flight control system. The aerospace and defence industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the pressing need for modernisation and the growing importance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and unmanned systems.