Robotics innovation among ship industry companies has dropped off in the last three months

Some parts of the world are investing more heavily in machine learning roles than others.

Research and innovation in robotics in the ship equipment supply, product and services sector has declined in the last year.

The most recent figures show that the number of robotics related patent applications in the industry stood at 11 in the three months ending June – down from 28 over the same period in 2021.

Figures for patent grants related to robotics followed a similar pattern to filings – shrinking from 23 in the three months ending June 2021 to seven in the same period in 2022.

The figures are compiled by GlobalData, which tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

Robotics is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

United Parcel Service was the top robotics innovator in the ship equipment supply, product and services sector in the latest quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in the US, filed four robotics related patents in the three months ending June. That was up from one over the same period in 2021.

It was followed by the US-based Uber Technologies with two robotics patent applications, South Korea-based Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (two applications), and South Korea-based Samsung Heavy Industries (one application).