Data Insight
Robotics innovation: Leading companies in autonomous fleet platooning for the automotive industry
Powered by
T
he automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by advancements in connectivity, sensors, and telecommunications, and growing importance of technologies such as machine learning, neural network, advanced driver assistance systems, and driverless automobiles. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.2 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Robotics in Automotive: Autonomous fleet platooning.
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 619,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the automotive industry, there are 290+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Deals activity by geography
Autonomous fleet platooning is a key innovation area in robotics
Each vehicle in the platoon is equipped with radar, cameras and GPS sensors to quickly adapt to changing conditions. The first vehicle (often a truck) will be driven by humans, with subsequent vehicles driving autonomously. Reading the driver’s behaviour allows the self-driving vehicle to adapt and react. Platooning has many benefits, including lowering the total cost of ownership and helping fleets achieve sustainability goals.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 30+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of autonomous fleet platooning.
Key players in autonomous fleet platooning – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Porsche Automobil is engaged in the development, production and sales of automobiles. It works through the Porsche segment (PSE) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). The company currently has 311 patents filed in the AI fleet segment. Other companies filing patents in autonomous fleet platooning for the automotive industry include Hyundai Motor Group and Kia.
To further understand how robotics is disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
