Surgical Robot Training Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Surgical robot training and skill assessment patents: mapping who owns the claim space
43.9% concentration. The top 5 of 100 ranked assignees together hold 112 of all 255 records in scope, well over four in ten filings. Filings climbed from 12 in 2017 to a peak of 29 in 2025, with 2021-to-2024 showing a +20% increase (10 to 12 records) over that span. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 counts (29 and 5 respectively) are still incomplete and should not be read as a falloff.
- 1APPL MEDICAL RESOURCES CORP46
- 2HEALTH RESEARCH INC20
- 3JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY19
- 4INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS INC14
- 5ICUEMOTION LLC13
See the full surgical robot training and skill assessment analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about this landscape
How many patents exist for surgical robot training and skill assessment?
This landscape covers 255 published patent records filed between 2015 and the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, matched against terminology like surgical simulator, skill assessment, robotic training, virtual reality modules and proficiency thresholds. The United States is the largest single receiving office with 95 records, followed by Europe and the WIPO PCT route at 40 each. Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, the true 2025-2026 filing count will be higher than currently shown once later publications catch up.
Who are the leading patent holders in surgical robot training technology?
The ranking covers 100 assignees, with the leader holding 46 of the 255 records in scope — a sizeable lead over the fifth-place holder at 13 and tenth place at 6. Together, the top 5 assignees hold 43.9% of all records and the top 10 hold 61.6%, so ownership is concentrated but not monopolised. Below that top tier sits a long list of single- or low-filing entrants, including university labs and smaller simulation-device makers.
What technology areas do these patents actually cover?
The dominant IPC classification is G09B, educational and demonstration aids, appearing in 72.9% of the 255 records — this covers the simulator hardware and training-scenario design. A61B, diagnosis and surgery, appears in 33.7% of records, usually where the training device overlaps with an actual surgical instrument or procedure. Smaller clusters cover AI-based scoring (G06N, 5.1%), image processing for motion tracking (G06T, 6.3%) and healthcare informatics integration (G16H, 4.7%).
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Surgical Robot Training and Skill Assessment covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.