Cobot Grasping & Manipulation Patent Landscape 2026
BAE Systems leads a moderately concentrated field of 94 patent families, with the top five filers holding one-third of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. The field is in a growth stage, with a 64% increase over the recent window and a steady stream of new entrants appearing in the most recent filing periods.
BAE Systems leads a fragmented but growing field
BAE Systems PLC holds the top position with 11 patent families, followed by Precise Automation Inc with 8 and Brooks Automation US LLC and Lam Research Corporation each with 5. The ranking reflects a diverse mix of defense, semiconductor-equipment, and dedicated cobot companies.
The top five filers account for 33% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate concentration. A meaningful gap separates the top two from the remainder of the field, where most applicants hold two to four patent families each.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAE Systems PLC | 11 | |
| 2 | Precise Automation Inc | 8 | |
| 3 | Brooks Automation US LLC | 5 | |
| 4 | Lam Research Corporation | 5 | |
| 5 | Brils Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 6 | Neuromeka | 4 | |
| 7 | ABB (Switzerland) AG | 4 | |
| 8 | AtkinsRealis UK Ltd | 3 | |
| 9 | NCR Voyix Corporation | 3 | |
| 10 | Productive Robotics Inc | 3 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Fronius International GmbH | 3 | |
| 12 | United States Government | 2 | |
| 13 | Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) | 2 | |
| 14 | Yu Sung Precision Industry | 2 | |
| 15 | Chongqing Longmeka Intelligent Robotics Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 16 | HighRes Biosolutions Inc | 2 | |
| 17 | Hyundai Motor Company | 2 | |
| 18 | Nachi-Fujikoshi Corporation | 2 | |
| 19 | LG Energy Solution Ltd | 1 | |
| 20 | Hefei Yifu Automation Technology Co Ltd | 1 |
BAE Systems’ position suggests that cobot manipulation is attracting investment from established defense and industrial integrators, not only specialist robotics firms. This broadens the competitive perimeter and signals that the technology is being embedded into larger system platforms.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are likely under-counted due to patent publication lag; apparent softness in 2025–2026 data should not be read as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume is rising and the technology base is broadening beyond core manipulators
The annual trend and the IPC class breakdown together show a field that is expanding in both volume and application scope, with manipulation and control remaining the dominant branches while adjacent application domains are beginning to accumulate filings.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 7 in 2017, reached 15 in 2022, dipped in 2023, and climbed to 17 in 2024 — the highest single-year count in the dataset. The 2025 and 2026 figures are materially under-counted due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a reversal of the growth trend.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (Manipulators & Robots) dominates with 95 patent records, reflecting the core hardware focus of the field. G05B (Control & Regulating Systems) is the second-largest branch with 15 records, signaling growing investment in motion control and safety logic. Smaller clusters in B65G (Conveying), B23K (Welding), G06N (AI Models), and A61B (Surgery) indicate early-stage diversification into handling, process automation, and medical applications.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Collaborative robot (COBOT) assistance
Real-time images of individuals and items on shelves of a store are analyzed for behaviors of the individuals and stocking levels of the items on the shelves. An autonomous Collaborative Robot (COBOT) is dispatched to aid the individuals based on the behaviors. The COBOT also restocks the shelves with the items when the stocking levels fall below predefined… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collaborative robot system and method | 42 |
| 2 | Collaborative Robot System Incorporating Enhanced … | 33 |
| 3 | Collaborative robot | 32 |
| 4 | Collaborative robot | 27 |
| 5 | Collaborative robot | 26 |
| 6 | 一种三臂空间机器人多模态共享遥操作系统及方法 | 14 |
| 7 | Collaborative robot system | 13 |
| 8 | Collaborative robot system on a mobile cart with a… | 11 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the landscape structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of growth-stage dynamics, moderate concentration, and a broadening application base creates both entry opportunities and competitive risks that engineers and strategists need to weigh carefully.
Growth stage with annual filings still rising
The field is classified as Growth, with a 64% increase in filing activity over the recent window and no sign of the annual peak receding. New entrants such as Neuromeka, Brils Co Ltd, and AtkinsRealis UK Ltd have all appeared in the most recent filing cohort. This early-growth profile means foundational claims are still being staked, giving well-positioned entrants room to establish durable IP positions.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a clear leader tier
The top five filers hold 33% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and BAE Systems’ lead over the second-ranked Precise Automation Inc is meaningful but not insurmountable. Below rank five, portfolio sizes drop sharply to two to four patent families, suggesting most participants are in early portfolio-building phases. A focused filing campaign in specific sub-domains could realistically close the gap to the challenger tier within a standard R&D cycle.
Moderate concentrationNo co-applicant activity detected in current evidence
The collaboration dataset contains no recorded co-applicant filings in this corpus. This absence may reflect the competitive sensitivity of manipulation IP or simply the early stage of the field. It also means there are no established cross-industry consortia to benchmark against, leaving open the possibility of being first to form a meaningful research alliance — for example, linking a robotics OEM with a semiconductor-equipment or medical-device firm.
No co-filings detectedUnited States is the primary filing jurisdiction; Asia is building quickly
The United States leads with 32 patent records, followed by China with 15, WIPO PCT with 13, South Korea with 12, and Europe (EPO) with 10. The presence of South Korean filers such as Neuromeka and Hyundai Motor, combined with Chinese university and industrial applicants, indicates that Asia-Pacific is an active and growing competitive front. PCT filings at 13 records suggest several applicants are pursuing multi-jurisdiction protection strategies.
US-led, Asia risingGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
BAE Systems leads on breadth; Precise Automation follows with a tightly focused control portfolio
The two leading applicants share a concentration in core manipulator and control-system classes but differ in trajectory: BAE Systems holds a multi-year incumbent position while Precise Automation’s portfolio reflects deep specialization in collaborative motion control.
BAE Systems PLC
BAE Systems holds 11 patent families — the largest portfolio in the corpus — concentrated in B25J 9 (manipulator programming and kinematics), B25J 13 (hand-guidance and teach-in control), and G05B 19 (numerical and programmable control). The breadth of sub-class coverage suggests a platform-level strategy aimed at integrating cobot manipulation into larger defense and industrial systems. No momentum trend flag is recorded, consistent with an established, sustained filing program rather than a recent surge.
11 patent familiesPrecise Automation Inc
Precise Automation holds 8 patent families with coverage spanning B25J 9, B25J 13, and G05B 19 — a near-identical sub-class mix to BAE Systems but at smaller scale. This overlap in class coverage creates a direct competitive encounter in manipulator control and programming. The applicant momentum data does not flag Precise Automation as a new entrant, suggesting the portfolio has been built steadily over multiple filing cycles rather than through a recent acceleration.
8 patent families| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Neuromeka | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Lam Research Corporation | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Brils Co Ltd | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Fronius International GmbH | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| NCR Voyix Corporation | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| AtkinsRealis UK Ltd | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| HighRes Biosolutions Inc | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant manipulator core
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant B25J cluster show low patent record counts relative to their plausible relevance to cobot grasping and manipulation, representing areas where new filings would encounter limited prior art density.
G06N · AI-Based Manipulation Planning
G06N (Computing Based on AI Models) holds only 4 patent records — a 2% share — despite machine-learning-driven grasp planning being an active research area. The technical value is clear: AI-guided manipulation enables adaptive grasping of novel objects without pre-programmed trajectories, directly addressing a core cobot deployment bottleneck. An entry path exists via integration claims that combine B25J kinematics with G06N inference methods, a combination that is sparse in the current corpus.
Search this in Eureka →B65G · Cobot-Integrated Conveying & Material Handling
B65G (Conveying & Material Handling) shows only 5 patent records — a 3% share — despite cobot arms being widely deployed alongside conveyor and pick-and-place systems in warehousing and logistics. The sparse coverage suggests that the interface between cobot end-effectors and material-handling infrastructure is not yet well-claimed. A technically grounded entry could focus on adaptive handoff protocols between a cobot gripper and a conveyor, a combination underrepresented in the current filing landscape.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology sub-class emphasis
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 15 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 19 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 13 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 11 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAE Systems PLC | Strong · 11 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| Precise Automation Inc | Strong · 8 | Absent | Moderate · 3 | Strong · 5 | Absent |
| Lam Research Corporation | Strong · 5 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Strong · 5 |
| Neuromeka | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 1 | Absent |
| Brils Co Ltd | Strong · 3 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Moderate · 1 | Moderate · 2 |
| NCR Voyix Corporation | Strong · 3 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent | Strong · 3 |
| ABB (Switzerland) AG | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current evidence covers 94 patent families in scope. This is a relatively focused corpus, consistent with a field that is in a growth stage rather than full maturity.
BAE Systems PLC leads with 11 patent families, followed by Precise Automation Inc with 8. Both concentrate on B25J manipulator and G05B control sub-classes.
The field is classified as Growth. Filing activity has increased 64% over the recent measurement window, and 2024 recorded the highest single-year count at 17 patent families. Annual figures for 2025 and 2026 are under-counted due to publication lag.
The United States leads with 32 patent records, followed by China with 15, WIPO PCT with 13, South Korea with 12, and Europe (EPO) with 10. The breadth of jurisdiction coverage indicates that several applicants are pursuing multi-territory protection.
No co-applicant filings are recorded in the current evidence for this corpus. The field appears to be characterized by independent filing strategies rather than formal R&D alliances.
G06N (AI Models, 4 patent records) and B65G (Conveying & Material Handling, 5 patent records) are the most notable under-served branches adjacent to the dominant B25J manipulator class. B23K (Welding) and B62D (Legged-robot locomotion) each hold 4 and 3 records respectively, also showing low density relative to their technical adjacency.
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Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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