Quadruped Robot Patent Landscape 2026
Quadruped Robot Patent Landscape in 2026
Boston Dynamics holds the single largest position in a field where the top five filers account for 45% of the hundred largest applicants’ combined total, signaling a highly concentrated competitive core. The field reached peak annual volume in 2021 and has since plateaued, with China emerging as the dominant filing jurisdiction and a growing wave of Chinese technology companies challenging established Japanese and American incumbents.
Boston Dynamics leads a concentrated but increasingly contested field
Boston Dynamics holds the top position with 592 patent families, nearly double the second-ranked Sony Group Corporation at 314 patent families. Honda Motor at 221, Tencent Technology at 194, and Toyota Motor at 148 complete a dominant tier that collectively accounts for 45% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total.
The gap between the first tier and the next cluster — Hangzhou Yushu Technology (86 patent families), Beijing Xiaomi Robot Tech (76), and UBTECH Robotics (69) — is substantial, indicating a two-tier structure where incumbents carry deep legacy portfolios and challengers are building rapidly from smaller bases.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Dynamics Inc | 592 | |
| 2 | Sony Group Corporation | 314 | |
| 3 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | 221 | |
| 4 | Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co Ltd | 194 | |
| 5 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 148 | |
| 6 | Hangzhou Yushu Technology Co Ltd | 86 | |
| 7 | Beijing Xiaomi Robot Technology Co Ltd | 76 | |
| 8 | UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd | 69 | |
| 9 | Shandong University | 68 | |
| 10 | Hangzhou Yunshenchu Technology Co Ltd | 66 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Beijing Institute of Technology | 58 | |
| 12 | ANYbotics AG | 53 | |
| 13 | Ghost Robotics Corporation | 48 | |
| 14 | Intrinsic Innovation LLC | 40 | |
| 15 | Zhejiang University | 40 | |
| 16 | Google LLC | 39 | |
| 17 | INRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique) | 37 | |
| 18 | Tomahawk Robotics Inc | 37 | |
| 19 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 32 | |
| 20 | SoftBank Robotics Europe | 31 |
Boston Dynamics’ and Honda’s entrenched positions in legged locomotion and manipulator mechanics suggest high barriers in core kinematic IP, while Tencent’s aggressive recent trajectory (4.0× its prior three-year rate) signals that software-oriented players are actively repositioning in the control and autonomy layer.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 should be treated as under-counts given standard patent publication lags; apparent softness in those years reflects incomplete data rather than a confirmed structural decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual volume plateaued near 2021 peak; locomotion and manipulation dominate the technology mix
The filing trend and technology composition together reveal a field that expanded sharply through 2019–2021 and has since settled into a mature plateau, while the IPC branch mix shows that core mechanical and locomotion patents still vastly outnumber software and sensing work.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 205 in 2017 to a peak of 583 in 2021 before easing to a plateau around 539–556 in 2022–2023. Values for 2024 and 2025 are suppressed by publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline. The multi-year window still shows positive growth, but annual volume has not exceeded the 2021 peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (Manipulators and robots) and B62D (Vehicles and legged-robot locomotion) are by far the largest branches, reflecting the mechanical and kinematic core of the field. G05D (Control of non-electric variables) is the third most active branch, while AI-model computing (G06N), digital data processing (G06F), and navigation (G01C) remain comparatively sparse — indicating that the software and sensing layers are still being built out relative to the hardware foundation.
↗ 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.
BEWEGUNGSSTEUERUNGSVERFAHREN UND -VORRICHTUNG FÜR …
The present disclosure discloses a motion control method and apparatus for a legged robot, a legged robot, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. The legged robot includes at least two foot-ends. The method includes: receiving a bound instruction for the legged robot when the foot-ends of the legged robot stand in unit regions… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robot and attitude control method of robot | 295 |
| 2 | Distributed control and coordination of autonomous… | 294 |
| 3 | In-Line Legged Robot Vehicle and Method for Operat… | 292 |
| 4 | Mobile robot location determination employing erro… | 219 |
| 5 | Legged mobile robot and a system for controlling t… | 208 |
| 6 | Robot moving on legs and control method therefor, … | 205 |
| 7 | Locomotion control system for legged mobile robot | 204 |
| 8 | Authoring system and authoring method, and storage… | 189 |
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 strategy
The combination of a concentrated leader tier, a plateauing filing rate, and thin coverage in software-adjacent branches shapes where incremental and disruptive investment will have the most effect.
Field has plateaued near its 2021 peak
Annual filings peaked at 583 in 2021 and have since plateaued rather than continued climbing, marking the field as mature in its core mechanical domains. New entrants face a dense prior-art landscape in locomotion and manipulator mechanics. The most productive R&D bets are likely in adjacent software, sensing, and control branches where prior art is sparser.
Maturity stageTwo-tier structure with a wide leader gap
The top five filers hold 45% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and Boston Dynamics alone accounts for 592 patent families — nearly double the second-ranked player. The second tier (Hangzhou Yushu, Xiaomi, UBTECH) is growing but still well behind in portfolio depth. Teams entering now should expect freedom-to-operate constraints in core kinematics and plan accordingly.
High concentrationSony and Toyota lead co-filing activity; academia is an active partner
The most active co-filing pair is Sony Group Corporation with ATR (Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International) at 11 joint patents, followed by Toyota Motor Corporation with Toyota Central R&D Labs at 10. Toyota also co-files with the University of Tokyo (4 joint patents), and Sony collaborates with Alps Alpine and the Japan Science and Technology Agency. These patterns show that Japanese incumbents are using cross-institutional collaboration to extend their technical reach in proprioception and control research.
Japan-led co-filingChina dominates filings; US and Europe are secondary but strategically important
China accounts for the largest share of patent records, followed by the United States and Europe (EPO). WIPO (PCT) filings indicate applicants seeking multi-jurisdiction coverage. Japan and Germany round out the top five jurisdictions. Teams building global freedom-to-operate must cover China and the US as priority markets, with EPO and PCT as the next tier.
China-first geographyGo 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 | ATR Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International | 11 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Toyota Central R&D Labs Inc | 10 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | University of Tokyo | 4 |
| Sony Group Corporation | Alps Alpine Co Ltd | 2 |
| Sony Group Corporation | Japan Science and Technology Agency | 2 |
| Sony Group Corporation | Yamaguchi Jinichi | 2 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Hasegawa Yasuhisa | 2 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Fukuda Toshio | 2 |
| Boston Dynamics Inc | Sony Group Corporation | 1 |
| Shandong University | Suzhou Fenghuo Power Technology Co Ltd | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Boston Dynamics anchors the field; Tencent is the fastest-moving challenger
The leader and top challenger differ sharply in technology emphasis and trajectory: Boston Dynamics is a deep mechanical incumbent with a stable rate, while Tencent has accelerated aggressively into locomotion control from a software foundation.
Boston Dynamics Inc
Boston Dynamics leads with 592 patent families concentrated in manipulator and robot mechanics (B25J 9, 366 records), legged and walking robot locomotion (B62D 57, 261 records), and autonomous control (G05D 1, 176 records). Its recent three-year filing rate is essentially flat (approximately -5% vs. the prior period), suggesting portfolio consolidation rather than expansion. Its depth in core locomotion IP creates high barriers for new entrants in the kinematic layer.
families: 592Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co Ltd
Tencent ranks fourth overall with 194 patent families but is the standout momentum player, filing at 4.0× its prior three-year rate in the most recent period. Its focus is skewed toward legged locomotion control (B62D 57, 104 records) and autonomous control systems (G05D 1, 89 records), reflecting a software-first entry strategy. This trajectory positions Tencent as the most disruptive near-term threat to established players in the control and AI layer.
families: 194| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Dynamics Inc | 204 | ▬ -5% |
| Sony Group Corporation | 22 | ▼ -53% |
| Honda Motor Co Ltd | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co Ltd | 145 | ▲ 4.0× vs prior 3-yr |
| Google LLC | 3 | ▼ -89% |
| Unitree Robotics Co Ltd | 22 | ▼ -60% |
| UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd | 33 | ▼ -8% |
| Shandong University | 22 | ▬ +5% |
Under-served branches in AI, digital processing, and navigation
Relative to the dominant mechanical branches, several technically adjacent IPC classes show lower patent density despite clear relevance to next-generation quadruped capabilities — particularly in autonomous decision-making, onboard computing, and localization.
G06N · Computing based on AI models
With 232 patent records against a corpus of 3,808 patent families, AI-model computing is sparse relative to its importance for learned locomotion policies and sim-to-real transfer. Reinforcement learning and neural-network-based gait control are active research areas but remain comparatively thin in the patent record. Teams with strengths in machine learning applied to robot control have a plausible entry path here before the branch densifies.
Search this in Eureka →G01C · Distance, navigation & gyroscopes
Navigation and localization (G01C) appears in only 124 patent records, making it one of the thinner branches despite being foundational to autonomous quadruped deployment in unstructured environments. Combined with the similarly sparse G06T (image data processing, 109 records), the perception-and-navigation stack is an under-served area where integrated sensor-fusion and SLAM approaches for legged robots represent a technically coherent and realistic filing opportunity.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | B62D 57 · Legged & walking robots | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | G05D 1 · Control of non-electric variables | B25J 5 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 13 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Dynamics Inc | Strong · 261 | Strong · 366 | Moderate · 176 | Emerging · 37 | Emerging · 55 |
| Sony Group Corporation | Strong · 105 | Strong · 146 | Moderate · 58 | Strong · 155 | Strong · 133 |
| Honda Motor Co Ltd | Strong · 123 | Moderate · 49 | Emerging · 21 | Strong · 146 | Strong · 76 |
| Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co Ltd | Strong · 104 | Strong · 73 | Strong · 89 | Emerging · 15 | Emerging · 19 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Moderate · 58 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 120 | Strong · 73 |
| Google LLC | Strong · 52 | Strong · 91 | Moderate · 19 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 3,808 patent families in scope globally, spanning manipulator mechanics, legged locomotion, control systems, and adjacent sensing and AI branches.
Boston Dynamics Inc leads with 592 patent families, nearly double the second-ranked applicant, Sony Group Corporation, which holds 314 patent families.
China is the leading jurisdiction by patent record count, followed by the United States and Europe (EPO). WIPO PCT filings indicate applicants seeking broad multi-jurisdiction coverage.
The field is still positive on a multi-year basis, with 13% recent growth, but annual filing volume has eased from its 2021 peak of 583 and has plateaued in subsequent years. The lifecycle stage is best described as mature rather than rapidly expanding. Note that 2024 and 2025 figures are under-counted due to publication lag.
Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) is the standout momentum player, filing at 4.0× its prior three-year rate. Honda Motor Co Ltd also shows a new-entrant trajectory in the recent period. By contrast, Sony Group Corporation’s recent filings are down approximately 53% versus its prior period.
The sparsest branches relative to the field’s scale are G06N (AI model computing, 232 records), G01C (navigation and gyroscopes, 124 records), and G06T (image data processing, 109 records). These areas — covering learned control policies, autonomous localization, and onboard perception — are technically adjacent and represent under-served zones compared to the dominant mechanical classes.
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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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