Date：March 24, 2021

(source of the picture:World Intellectual Property Organization website)

On March 23, 2021, WIPO released the Technology Trends Report 2021: Assistive Technologies, which shows:

More than 130,000 patents related to traditional and emerging assistive technologies were issued between 1998 and mid-2020, with 15,592 applications for emerging assistive technologies alone. And applications for emerging assistive technologies, including assistant robots, smart home applications, sets of visually impaired and smart glasses, are three times faster than traditional applications.

Two of the fastest growing areas of emerging assistive technologies are environment (42% AAGR) and mobility (24% AAGR). Emerging environmental technologies include public space navigation AIDS and assisted robots. Emerging mobility technologies include applications such as autonomous wheelchairs and advanced prosthetic limbs.

The report also notes that assistive technology fields are converging with consumer electronics and general medical technology. Technology developed for people with disabilities is increasingly finding its way into mainstream products. For example, bone-conduction technology can help with hearing loss and can also be used in headphones for runners.

(Edited by Zhang Chunyu, China Intellectual Property Magazine)

Reference article: The original "Technology Trends 2021 Report: Assistive Technologies" published by WIPO