Robot In-Process Sensing Patent Landscape 2026
The robot in-process sensing field is in a confirmed growth stage, with a 42% rise in recent filings driven by medical robotics and industrial manipulator applications. KB Medical SA holds the leading position, but the field is fragmented across medical, semiconductor, and manufacturing domains, leaving meaningful room for differentiated entry.
KB Medical SA leads a fragmented, cross-domain field
KB Medical SA occupies the top position with 16 patent records, followed by Veebot Systems Inc at 13 and a cluster of applicants — Machina Labs Inc, ABB (Switzerland) AG, and Veebot LLC — each holding 6 records. The top five filers collectively account for 31% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate concentration for a field of this size.
A clear two-tier structure is visible: KB Medical SA and Veebot Systems Inc form a leading pair with a noticeable gap over the next tier, which is itself tightly bunched. Below the top six, patent records drop rapidly to single digits, suggesting that most participants are early-stage or opportunistic filers rather than sustained investors.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KB Medical SA | 16 | |
| 2 | Veebot Systems Inc | 13 | |
| 3 | Machina Labs Inc | 6 | |
| 4 | ABB (Switzerland) AG | 6 | |
| 5 | Veebot LLC | 6 | |
| 6 | Applied Materials Inc | 4 | |
| 7 | Changsha Yihuang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 8 | Chengdu Genchi Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 9 | Hunan Yikong Education Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 10 | Institute of Machinery Manufacturing Technology, China Academy of Engineering Physics | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | LIUZHOU VOCATIONAL & TECHN COLLEGE | 2 | |
| 12 | Zhuhai Xinke Automation Equipment Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 13 | Hefei Xinyihua Intelligent Machine Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 14 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) | 2 | |
| 15 | POHANG IRON & STEEL CO LTD | 2 | |
| 16 | Sichuan University | 2 | |
| 17 | Maanshan Yuanrong Robot Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 18 | Hangzhou Zhiku Yunze Network Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 19 | SAVEETHA INST OF MEDICAL & TECH SCI | 1 | |
| 20 | Chuzhou University | 1 |
The leaders’ positions reflect divergent strategic bets — KB Medical SA and the Veebot entities focus almost exclusively on surgical and diagnostic guidance, while Machina Labs Inc and ABB (Switzerland) AG are oriented toward industrial manipulator sensing. This domain split means the apparent market leader in one application vertical does not dominate another.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and will undercount actual activity; growth signals from 2024–2025 should be interpreted with that in mind. 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 technology coverage spans surgical, industrial, and AI branches
Two charts together show that annual filing volume has grown steadily since 2017 and that the technology base spans a broad but uneven set of IPC classes. Reading them together helps identify where momentum and coverage are aligned versus where a branch is large but filing activity is thin.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings grew from 5 records in 2017 to a visible run-rate increase through 2024–2025. The 2025 figure of 20 records is the highest in the dataset but should be read as a floor given publication lag. The growth phase is well-established across the multi-year window, with no evidence of a structural plateau in earlier completed years.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (Manipulators and Robots) and A61B (Diagnosis and Surgery) together account for the two largest branches, reflecting the dual industrial-and-medical character of in-process sensing. G05B (Control and Regulating Systems), G06N (AI Models), and A61M (Devices for Body Fluids) each hold meaningful shares but remain relatively underserved relative to the leading pair, marking them as adjacencies worth monitoring.
↗ 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.
Mobile dexterous seven degree of freedom robot arm…
The present invention is a mobile redundant dexterous manipulator with a seven-degree-of-freedom robot arm mounted on a 1 degree-of-freedom mobile platform with a six-degree-of freedom end effector including a real-time control system with multiple modes of operation. The manipulator-plus-platform system has two degrees-of-redundancy for the task of hand… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile dexterous seven degree of freedom robot arm… | 588 |
| 2 | Apparatus, systems, and methods for precise guidan… | 442 |
| 3 | Systems and methods for autonomous intravenous nee… | 413 |
| 4 | Systems and methods for autonomous intravenous nee… | 184 |
| 5 | Apparatus and systems for precise guidance of surg… | 175 |
| 6 | Apparatus, systems, and methods for precise guidan… | 154 |
| 7 | Systems and methods for autonomous intravenous nee… | 82 |
| 8 | Apparatus, systems, and methods for precise guidan… | 77 |
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 decisions
Four lenses — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — together characterize where the field is heading and where entry or differentiation is most tractable. Each card draws directly from filing and structural evidence.
Growth stage with rising annual volume
The lifecycle evidence classifies robot in-process sensing as a Growth-stage field, with annual filings still rising and the most recent years understated by publication lag. The 42% recent growth figure confirms that this is not a mature, saturated domain. Teams entering now can still establish foundational positions in sub-domains that have not yet attracted concentrated filers.
Growth StageModerate top-tier concentration, thin mid-field
The top five filers hold 31% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records, a moderate concentration level. The rapid drop-off below the top six applicants indicates that the mid-field is thin — most secondary filers hold only one or two records. This structure makes it relatively straightforward for a committed entrant to claim a top-ten position within a single product cycle.
Moderate ConcentrationOne documented co-filing pair; ecosystem activity is nascent
The only confirmed co-applicant relationship in evidence is between Changsha Yihuang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. and Hunan Yikong Education Technology Co., Ltd., which jointly filed 3 patent records. Both are Chinese education-technology entities, suggesting their collaboration targets training and demonstration robotics rather than core in-process sensing. No cross-sector or cross-border co-filing pairs appear in the evidence, indicating that ecosystem collaboration remains nascent.
Nascent CollaborationChina dominates filings; the US is the primary secondary jurisdiction
China accounts for 61 patent records, establishing it as the primary filing jurisdiction by a wide margin. The United States follows at 35 records, and Europe (EPO) trails at 12. WIPO PCT and India each register 6 records, with South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and a handful of others showing minimal presence. Teams seeking cross-border protection should prioritize a China-plus-US foundation, with EPO as a natural third pillar.
China-Led 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Changsha Yihuang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. | Hunan Yikong Education Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
KB Medical SA and Machina Labs Inc represent divergent sensing strategies
The leading filers split clearly between medical-robotics guidance and industrial-manipulator sensing, making direct head-to-head competition less relevant than their respective sub-domain depths. Momentum data highlights which players entered the landscape most recently.
KB Medical SA
KB Medical SA holds 16 patent records, the largest position in the corpus. Its technology emphasis is tightly concentrated in A61B 34 (surgical robotics guidance, 11 records) and A61B 90 (surgical instruments with sensing, 10 records), with a smaller A61B 17 footprint (3 records). This depth in surgical navigation and intraoperative sensing makes KB Medical SA the dominant filer in the medical sub-domain. No momentum shift is recorded in the recent window — its position reflects an established, sustained filing program rather than a new-entrant surge.
patent records: 16Machina Labs Inc
Machina Labs Inc holds 6 patent records and is flagged as a new entrant in the momentum data, meaning its entire recorded position was established in the recent filing window. Its focus is squarely industrial: B25J 11 (specialized manipulators, 6 records), B25J 13 (manipulator control by sensing, 4 records), and B25J 9 (manipulator arms, 4 records). This profile — recent, concentrated, and in an underserved industrial branch — positions Machina Labs as the most watch-worthy challenger for teams working on manufacturing-side in-process sensing.
patent records: 6| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Veebot Systems Inc | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Machina Labs Inc | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Applied Materials Inc | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Changsha Yihuang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hunan Yikong Education Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| POSCO (Pohang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd.) | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Control systems, AI models, and semiconductor sensing are under-served adjacencies
Several IPC branches appear in the corpus at counts that are small relative to the dominant B25J and A61B classes, yet they represent technically plausible extensions of in-process sensing. These are observations of relative sparsity; whether they constitute investable opportunities depends on a team’s existing capability base.
G06N · AI-Driven Sensing Models
G06N (Computing Based on AI Models) registers 12 patent records — just 6% of the branch-level count — despite AI inference being increasingly central to in-process sensing decisions such as anomaly detection, adaptive control, and sensor fusion. Applied Materials Inc is the only top-ten filer with a documented AI-model focus (G06N 20, 4 records), and it entered as a new entrant. For teams with existing ML-for-robotics capability, this branch offers a plausible entry path: filing positions are sparse, the technical value of closing the loop between sensing and AI inference is well-established, and no incumbent has yet consolidated coverage.
Search this in Eureka →G05B · Real-Time Control and Regulating Systems
G05B (Control and Regulating Systems) holds 14 patent records, representing 7% of branch-level activity, despite control-loop integration being a foundational requirement for in-process sensing to influence robot behavior. The branch’s relative sparsity suggests that most current filers treat sensing and control as separate inventive steps rather than integrated systems. A team that can claim tightly coupled sensing-to-actuation architectures — particularly for closed-loop feedback in surgical or precision-manufacturing contexts — faces limited incumbent coverage in this branch and would address a technically grounded gap.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | A61B 34 · Diagnosis & surgery | A61B 90 · Diagnosis & surgery | A61B 5 · Diagnosis & surgery | B25J 19 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veebot Systems Inc | Absent | Strong · 11 | Strong · 7 | Strong · 11 | Absent |
| KB Medical SA | Absent | Strong · 11 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent |
| Veebot LLC | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent |
| ABB (Switzerland) AG | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Machina Labs Inc | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Institute of Machinery Manufacturing Technology, China Academy of Engineering Physics | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 2 |
| Nanjing Yusheng Robot Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 2 |
Frequently asked questions
The landscaped corpus covers 97 patent families in scope. Separately, applicant rankings are measured in patent records, which can exceed the family count when a single family is filed in multiple jurisdictions.
KB Medical SA leads with 16 patent records, focused on surgical-robotics guidance and intraoperative sensing within the A61B class. Veebot Systems Inc is second with 13 records, also concentrated in medical diagnosis and surgery sub-classes.
The evidence classifies the field as Growth stage. Annual filings have risen 42% in the recent window, and the most recent years are understated by publication lag, so the actual pace of activity is likely higher than the raw figures suggest.
China is the dominant jurisdiction with 61 patent records, followed by the United States at 35 and Europe (EPO) at 12. India and WIPO PCT each register 6 records. South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan each show minimal presence.
The most-cited work covers mobile dexterous robot arm design (588 citations), precise surgical guidance apparatus and systems (442 and 154 citations across multiple filings), and autonomous intravenous needle placement systems (413, 184, and 82 citations across related filings). These citation leaders are concentrated in the surgical-robotics sub-domain.
The two most technically grounded adjacencies identified in the evidence are G06N (AI-driven sensing models, 12 records, 6% of branch activity) and G05B (real-time control and regulating systems, 14 records, 7% of branch activity). Both are sparse relative to the dominant B25J and A61B classes, and both address recognized technical needs in integrated in-process sensing systems.
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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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