Humanoid Robot Patent Landscape 2026
Humanoid Robot Patent Landscape in 2026
The humanoid robot patent field is in active growth, with Sony Group Corp holding the largest single portfolio among all filers and the top five applicants collectively accounting for a substantial share of output among the hundred largest filers. Filing activity has accelerated sharply in the most recent years, with new entrants and established players alike intensifying their positions.
Sony leads a concentrated field with Boston Dynamics and Sanctuary surging
Sony Group Corp holds the top position in humanoid robot patenting, followed by SoftBank Robotics. Europe, Honda Motor, Boston Dynamics, and UBTECH Robotics — the top five filers together account for 40% of the combined output of the hundred largest applicants.
The gap between the first and second tiers is meaningful: Sony’s 697 patent families places it well ahead of SoftBank Robotics. Europe at 556 and Honda Motor at 463, while Boston Dynamics at 458 has closed that gap rapidly on strong recent momentum. Below rank five, volume drops sharply, with UBTECH at 248 and Sanctuary Cognitive Systems at 231 representing a distinct second tier.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sony Group Corporation | 697 | |
| 2 | SoftBank Robotics Europe | 556 | |
| 3 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 463 | |
| 4 | Boston Dynamics, Inc. | 458 | |
| 5 | UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd | 248 | |
| 6 | Sanctuary Cognitive Systems Corp | 231 | |
| 7 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 181 | |
| 8 | Aldebaran Robotics SA | 117 | |
| 9 | Beijing Institute of Technology | 111 | |
| 10 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 109 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Shanghai Fourier Intelligence Co., Ltd. | 105 | |
| 12 | Sarcos Corp | 94 | |
| 13 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. | 86 | |
| 14 | Figure AI Inc. | 81 | |
| 15 | Yamaguchi Jinichi | 74 | |
| 16 | THE JAPAN SCI & TECH AGENCY | 72 | |
| 17 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 71 | |
| 18 | Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC | 70 | |
| 19 | Shenzhen Zhuji Power Technology Co., Ltd. | 69 | |
| 20 | GDM Holding LLC | 65 |
The leaders’ positions reflect long-term programs in manipulation, locomotion, and human-robot interaction, but the emergence of Sanctuary Cognitive Systems — classified as a new entrant by recent momentum — signals that the competitive frontier is not closed to well-funded challengers.
Data for 2025 and 2026 is subject to publication lag and is likely undercounted; recent-year figures should be treated as a floor rather than a ceiling. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filings are rising sharply and manipulation remains the dominant technology branch
The annual trend and technology composition charts together show a field still in a growth phase, with a clear technological core in robotic manipulation and an expanding set of adjacent software and AI branches.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings trended between 415 and 589 patent families from 2017 through 2023 before accelerating to 827 in 2024 and appearing to reach 1,148 in 2025. The 2025 and 2026 figures are subject to publication lag and undercount true activity; nonetheless the directional signal of acceleration from 2024 onward is robust.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (Manipulators and robots) dominates the technology mix, reflecting the centrality of arm and body mechanics to humanoid design. B62D (legged-robot locomotion) and G05D (control of non-electric variables) form the next layer, while G06F (digital data processing) and G06N (AI models) indicate growing software and learning-based patenting adjacent to the mechanical core.
↗ 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.
Humanoid Robot that can Dynamically Walk with Limi…
A control system for a bipedal humanoid robot that utilizes certain fundamental characteristics of bipedal motion to provide a robust and relatively simple balancing and walking mechanism. The system primarily utilizes the concept of “capturability,” which is defined as the ability of the robot to come to a stop without falling by taking N or fewer steps… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obstacle recognition method for autonomous robots | 728 |
| 2 | Charging system for mobile robot, method for searc… | 647 |
| 3 | Robot remote-control system and software distribut… | 447 |
| 4 | Robotic manipulation methods and systems for execu… | 446 |
| 5 | Methods and systems for food preparation in a robo… | 446 |
| 6 | Obstacle recognition method for autonomous robots | 444 |
| 7 | Interactive systems employing robotic companions | 417 |
| 8 | Systems and methods for operating a robotic system… | 366 |
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 strategy
Four structural observations — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — each carry distinct implications for teams deciding where to invest or how to differentiate.
Growth stage: annual filings still rising
The field is classified as Growth, with annual filings still rising and the most recent years understated by publication lag. The 26% recent-window growth rate confirms that this is not a mature, saturating market but an expanding one where early portfolio positions still carry strategic value. Teams entering now can still establish meaningful prior art.
Growth phaseConcentrated top tier, but challengers are closing fast
The top five filers hold 40% of the combined output of the hundred largest applicants, indicating meaningful concentration. However, momentum data shows Boston Dynamics up 48% and Sanctuary Cognitive Systems classified as a new entrant with 199 recent patent families, demonstrating that the ranking is not static. Mid-tier players with focused, differentiated strategies can realistically challenge established positions.
High concentrationIndustry-academia co-filing anchored by Sony and SoftBank Robotics
The most active co-filing pair is Sony Group Corp and Yamaguchi Jinichi, with 68 joint patent families. SoftBank Robotics Europe co-files extensively with INRIA (44 families), CNRS (14 families), and Amenisis (13 families). Honda Motor collaborates with Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo. These patterns show that leading firms are actively drawing on academic research, particularly in France and Japan, as a portfolio-building strategy.
Industry-academiaUS and China are near-parity primary filing venues
The United States leads jurisdiction coverage, closely followed by China, with Europe (EPO) and Japan as significant secondary venues. This near-parity between US and Chinese coverage reflects competing innovation ecosystems: established players filing primarily in the US and Japan alongside a rapidly growing Chinese applicant base securing domestic protection. Teams should ensure their freedom-to-operate analysis covers both jurisdictions.
US–China parityGo 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.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Group Corporation | Yamaguchi Jinichi | 68 |
| SoftBank Robotics Europe | INRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique) | 44 |
| SoftBank Robotics Europe | CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) | 14 |
| SoftBank Robotics Europe | Amenisis | 13 |
| Aldebaran Robotics SA | INRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique) | 12 |
| Sony Group Corporation | ATR Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International | 10 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 6 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | University of Tokyo | 4 |
| Sony Group Corporation | Sony Electronics Inc. | 3 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Sony anchors the field; Boston Dynamics and Sanctuary are the fastest movers
The leader and challenger profiles below highlight divergent trajectories: a dominant incumbent with a broad manipulation and consumer robotics portfolio versus a dynamic group of challengers with concentrated, high-velocity recent filing programs.
Sony Group Corp
Sony holds 697 patent families, the largest portfolio in the corpus, concentrated in manipulator mechanics (B25J 5, B25J 13) and walking or moving toy figures (A63H 11), reflecting both industrial and consumer humanoid programs. Despite this scale, recent momentum shows a sharp contraction of –85% versus the prior three-year window, suggesting Sony’s program may have shifted toward internal development or licensing rather than continued heavy filing.
families: 697Boston Dynamics Inc
Boston Dynamics holds 458 patent families and is growing at +48% versus the prior period — the strongest momentum among established players. Its technology emphasis spans manipulator programs (B25J 9), legged and walking robots (B62D 57), and autonomous control (G05D 1), a profile that directly addresses full-body humanoid locomotion and task execution. Sanctuary Cognitive Systems, classified as a new entrant, has already accumulated 199 recent patent families with a similar focus on manipulator integration and sensing, making it the most notable emerging challenger.
families: 458| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Group Corporation | 11 | ▼ -85% |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 35 | ▲ +17% |
| Boston Dynamics, Inc. | 207 | ▲ +48% |
| UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd | 81 | ▼ -32% |
| Sanctuary Cognitive Systems Corp | 199 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Google LLC | 30 | ▲ +15% |
| Beijing Institute of Technology | 17 | ▼ -61% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the manipulation core
Several IPC branches sit at lower share within this corpus relative to their technical relevance to humanoid robots. These observations highlight areas where the patent density is lower, which may reflect under-exploited technical territory or simply the early stage of those sub-disciplines.
G06N · AI models for robot cognition
G06N (Computing based on AI models) accounts for roughly 3% of branch records in the corpus — notably sparse given that large-language-model and reinforcement-learning-driven control is a central research theme for next-generation humanoids. The gap between research interest and patent filings suggests that firms integrating AI-native control stacks have an opportunity to establish prior art before the branch becomes crowded. A plausible entry path is filing around specific training pipelines, sim-to-real transfer methods, and on-robot inference architectures.
Search this in Eureka →G05B · Control and regulating systems
G05B (Control and regulating systems) represents approximately 3% of branch records, indicating that systems-level control architecture — covering feedback loops, safety interlocks, and real-time scheduling for humanoid platforms — is underrepresented relative to the hardware-centric B25J core. For teams developing middleware or operating systems for humanoid robots, this branch offers a lower-density filing environment with clear technical value as the industry moves toward standardized control frameworks.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 19 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 13 · Manipulators & robots | B62D 57 · Legged & walking robots | B25J 5 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony Group Corporation | Moderate · 188 | Moderate · 144 | Strong · 382 | Moderate · 162 | Strong · 487 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Strong · 141 | Strong · 133 | Strong · 149 | Strong · 124 | Strong · 176 |
| Boston Dynamics, Inc. | Strong · 289 | Emerging · 29 | Emerging · 52 | Strong · 179 | Absent |
| SoftBank Robotics Europe | Strong · 232 | Strong · 138 | Absent | Emerging · 36 | Moderate · 54 |
| UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd | Strong · 173 | Emerging · 33 | Moderate · 48 | Moderate · 64 | Absent |
| Sanctuary Cognitive Systems Corp | Strong · 187 | Moderate · 51 | Moderate · 42 | Absent | Absent |
| Japan Science and Technology Agency | Absent | Absent | Strong · 62 | Strong · 52 | Strong · 65 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 5,446 patent families. This total spans the global scope of the analysis and is the baseline from which applicant rankings, trend charts, and technology compositions are derived.
Sony Group Corp leads with 697 patent families, ahead of SoftBank Robotics Europe at 556, Honda Motor at 463, Boston Dynamics at 458, and UBTECH Robotics at 248. Together these five account for 40% of the combined output of the hundred largest applicants.
Yes. The lifecycle stage is classified as Growth, with annual filings still rising. The recent-window growth rate is 26%. Filing volumes in 2025 and 2026 appear higher still, though those figures are subject to publication lag and are likely undercounted.
The United States and China are the two primary filing venues and are nearly matched in coverage, reflecting competing innovation ecosystems. Europe (EPO) and Japan are significant secondary venues, followed by WIPO (PCT), South Korea, and Germany.
Sanctuary Cognitive Systems is classified as a new entrant with 199 recent patent families. Boston Dynamics shows +48% growth versus the prior period. Honda Motor is up +17% and Google up +15%. By contrast, Sony Group Corp shows a -85% recent contraction and Beijing Institute of Technology is down -61%, suggesting shifts in filing strategy rather than exits from the field.
The most active co-filing pair is Sony Group Corp with Yamaguchi Jinichi at 68 joint patent families. SoftBank Robotics Europe co-files with INRIA (44 families), CNRS (14 families), and Amenisis (13 families). Honda Motor collaborates with Tokyo Institute of Technology (6 families) and the University of Tokyo (4 families), reflecting a broader industry-academia collaboration pattern.
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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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