Cobot Safety (HRC) Patent Landscape 2026
The cobot safety field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, with NEUROMEKA holding the largest position among a concentrated group of specialists and defense-sector entrants. The field is moderately concentrated, with most activity clustered in manipulator and control-system branches, leaving several adjacent technical branches notably sparse.
NEUROMEKA leads a concentrated specialist field
NEUROMEKA sits at the top of the applicant ranking, followed by BAE Systems and Mantis Robotics — a mix of dedicated cobot specialists and a major defense integrator that signals broadening industrial interest in safe human-robot collaboration.
The top five filers account for 48% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating meaningful concentration without a single dominant monopoly. A clear tier gap separates the top two from the rest of the ranked list, where most applicants hold only one or two patent families.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEUROMEKA | 17 | |
| 2 | BAE Systems PLC | 11 | |
| 3 | Mantis Robotics Inc | 7 | |
| 4 | Shenzhen Yuejiang Technology Co Ltd | 5 | |
| 5 | KUKA Systems GmbH | 5 | |
| 6 | Hanwha Robotics Corp | 4 | |
| 7 | Thomson Industries Inc | 3 | |
| 8 | Northeastern University China | 2 | |
| 9 | CYMECHS | 2 | |
| 10 | Shanghai Jieka Robot Technology Co Ltd | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Shandong Siasun Industrial Software Research Institute Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 12 | Intel Corporation | 2 | |
| 13 | Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp | 2 | |
| 14 | Fanuc Ltd | 2 | |
| 15 | Wipro Ltd | 2 | |
| 16 | AJINEXTEK | 1 | |
| 17 | Niveditha B | 1 | |
| 18 | Indian Institute of Science | 1 | |
| 19 | Shenyang Donglian Zhihui Technology Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 20 | Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering | 1 |
The leaders’ positions reflect deep B25J (manipulators and robots) specialization. Entrants with strong control-system or AI-model capabilities could compete in the underserved G05B and G06N branches without directly colliding with the current top tier.
The most recent 18–24 months of the filing trend are understated due to patent publication lag; apparent softness in 2024–2026 should not be read as a real slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth driven by manipulator and control-system patents
The filing trend and technology composition charts together show a field that expanded substantially from 2017 onward and remains anchored in manipulator hardware, with a secondary cluster in control and regulating systems.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from a low base in 2017 and reached a pronounced peak in 2022 before easing in subsequent years. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis — recent three-year volume sits well above the prior three-year window — though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak. Data for 2024–2026 is further understated by publication lag and should not be interpreted as a structural decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (manipulators and robots) dominates the technology mix by a wide margin, reflecting the hardware-centric nature of cobot safety work. G05B (control and regulating systems) is the only meaningful secondary branch. AI-model computing (G06N), digital data processing (G06F), electric motors (H02K), and welding applications (B23K) each appear at very low counts, marking them as adjacent and underserved.
↗ 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 having collision detection fun…
The present invention provides a collaborative robot comprising: a main body robot; an additional shaft robot that moves the main body robot along the additional shaft; and a processor unit that transmits and receives signals to and from the main body robot and the additional shaft robot, wherein the processor unit comprises: a receiving unit that obtains a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Human-collaborative robot system | 42 |
| 2 | 一种双臂自碰撞检测方法和计算机可读存储介质 | 38 |
| 3 | 协作机器人、碰撞检测系统和方法、存储介质、操作系统 | 19 |
| 4 | 基于力矩传感器的协作机器人驱控一体化控制系统 | 17 |
| 5 | Apparatus and Method for Collision Detection for C… | 17 |
| 6 | 一种协作机器人碰撞检测方法、装置、介质及电子设备 | 13 |
| 7 | Collaborative robot system | 13 |
| 8 | 一种智能协作机器人安全控制软件系统 | 13 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D investment
The combination of concentrated leadership, a growth-phase lifecycle, sparse collaboration, and a US-led jurisdiction profile shapes where new entrants and incumbents should focus their efforts.
Growth phase with easing annual volume from 2022 peak
The field carries a Growth lifecycle label: recent three-year filings remain well above the prior three-year window, delivering 40% growth on that basis. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has eased since, but publication lag inflates the apparent magnitude of that pullback. The window remains open for differentiated entrants before the field matures further.
Growth stageTop-heavy but not monopolized — room for specialists
The top five filers hold 48% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, and the leader NEUROMEKA holds 17 patent families versus 11 for second-ranked BAE Systems. Below the top two, the ranked list fragments quickly into single-family holders, indicating that a focused filing strategy in an adjacent branch could establish a credible position without confronting the leaders head-on.
Moderate concentrationNo co-applicant activity detected in corpus
The collaboration data shows no recorded co-applicant filings within this corpus. The absence of joint filings suggests that cobot safety IP is being developed and held within individual organizations rather than through consortia or university-industry partnerships, which may reflect competitive sensitivity around safety-critical know-how.
Evidence pendingUS leads, with Europe and China both active
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with the highest patent-record count, followed closely by Europe (EPO) and China. South Korea and WIPO (PCT) represent meaningful secondary filing routes. The UK, India, Japan, and several European national offices appear at low counts. Applicants building freedom-to-operate strategies should prioritize US, EPO, and Chinese examination tracks.
US · EPO · ChinaGo 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.
NEUROMEKA and BAE Systems lead by distinct routes
The top two applicants share a B25J core but differ in their secondary emphasis — NEUROMEKA is a pure-play cobot specialist while BAE Systems brings a defense-grade systems integration perspective anchored in sensing and control.
NEUROMEKA
NEUROMEKA holds 17 patent families and is recorded as a new entrant by recent-filing momentum, indicating its portfolio has been built rapidly. Its technology focus is concentrated entirely within B25J subclasses covering manipulator kinematics, mobile manipulators, and safety/sensing, reflecting a vertically integrated cobot design philosophy.
families: 17BAE Systems
BAE Systems holds 11 patent families and combines a strong B25J manipulator base with notable coverage of B25J 13 (sensing and feedback) and G05B 19 (programmable control systems), distinguishing it from the pure-cobot specialists. Its presence signals that defense and aerospace integrators view human-robot collaboration safety as strategically important.
families: 11| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| NEUROMEKA | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Mantis Robotics Inc | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Shenzhen Yuejiang Technology Co Ltd | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Thomson Industries Inc | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant cobot safety core
Several IPC branches sit at very low counts relative to the B25J core, representing areas where current patent coverage is thin. These are observations of relative sparsity; technical value and entry feasibility vary.
G06N · AI and machine-learning models for safety
Only 3 patent records appear in this branch, representing a 2% share of the technology mix — sparse given that AI-driven collision prediction and intent recognition are increasingly discussed in cobot safety literature. An entrant with strength in real-time inference or neural-network-based force estimation could establish a differentiated position, particularly by combining G06N claims with the dominant B25J manipulator context already proven in the corpus.
Search this in Eureka →H02K · Electric motors and actuators for safe torque
With only 3 patent records, the electric motor and generator branch (H02K) is notably sparse despite the direct relevance of motor-level torque limiting and back-drivability to physical human-robot collaboration safety. A filing strategy targeting intrinsically safe actuation — covering both H02K motor design and B25J integration — could address a gap that the current corpus leaves largely open.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 19 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 13 · Manipulators & robots | G05B 19 · Control & regulating systems | B25J 5 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEUROMEKA | Strong · 16 | Moderate · 7 | Emerging · 1 | Absent | Strong · 9 |
| BAE Systems PLC | Strong · 11 | Emerging · 1 | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 5 | Absent |
| Mantis Robotics Inc | Strong · 7 | Strong · 4 | Strong · 7 | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| KUKA Systems GmbH | Strong · 5 | Strong · 5 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Shenzhen Yuejiang Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent |
| Hanwha Robotics Corp | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Thomson Industries Inc | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 2 | Moderate · 1 |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 79 patent families in scope globally. The United States is the lead filing jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO) and China.
NEUROMEKA holds the largest position with 17 patent families, ahead of BAE Systems with 11 and Mantis Robotics with 7. NEUROMEKA’s momentum is classified as a new entrant, indicating its portfolio has been built in the recent filing window.
The field is in a Growth stage. Recent three-year filings are 40% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis, though annual volume eased from a 2022 peak. Publication lag means the most recent years are understated and should not be read as a structural decline.
B25J (manipulators and robots) overwhelmingly dominates the technology composition, followed at a significant distance by G05B (control and regulating systems). All other branches — including AI models, digital data processing, and electric motors — appear at only 2–3 patent records each.
No co-applicant filings are recorded in this corpus, suggesting that cobot safety IP is currently developed and held within individual organizations rather than through joint ventures or consortium arrangements.
The most notable underserved branches relative to the B25J core are G06N (AI and machine-learning models) and H02K (electric motors and actuators), each with only 3 patent records. B23K (welding applications), G06F (digital data processing), and B25B (hand tools) are also sparse at 2–3 records each, though whether these represent viable entry points depends on a filer’s existing technical capabilities.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
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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