The consumer industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by convenience, technology,  and contactless delivery and growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and machine learning. In the last three years alone, there have been over 662,000 patents filed and granted in the consumer industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial intelligence in consumer: autonomous delivery management. Buy the report here.

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 116,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the consumer industry, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Autonomous delivery management is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence

Autonomous delivery management uses unmanned platforms to manage and fulfill product deliveries. They usually comprise autonomous drones or robots that receive delivery instructions and payloads without any human intervention. Delivery robots are rapidly gaining popularity for this purpose. An operator can control the robot remotely and guide it through obstacles that it cannot navigate through by itself.

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 50+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established consumer companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of autonomous delivery management.

Key players in autonomous delivery management – a disruptive innovation in the consumer industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.   

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.  

Patent volumes related to autonomous delivery management

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Nuro 242 Unlock Company Profile
Walmart 196 Unlock Company Profile
Cox Enterprises 156 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 128 Unlock Company Profile
FedEx 67 Unlock Company Profile
Nio 57 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 43 Unlock Company Profile
Locus Robotics 36 Unlock Company Profile
LG 34 Unlock Company Profile
Trax Technology Solutions 28 Unlock Company Profile
Indigo Agriculture 23 Unlock Company Profile
Theca-Cola 22 Unlock Company Profile
Amazon.com 21 Unlock Company Profile
Emerging Automotive 19 Unlock Company Profile
Oshkosh 14 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing Geekplus Technology 14 Unlock Company Profile
Qualcomm 13 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 13 Unlock Company Profile
LOUNGE'LAB 12 Unlock Company Profile
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance 12 Unlock Company Profile
General Motors 12 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil 11 Unlock Company Profile
Flex 10 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung Group 10 Unlock Company Profile
Ninebot Beijing Tech 10 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 9 Unlock Company Profile
Intellectual Ventures Management 8 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines 8 Unlock Company Profile
FedEx Services 8 Unlock Company Profile
OPTIMUM 7 Unlock Company Profile
Aptiv 7 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 7 Unlock Company Profile
BorgWarner 6 Unlock Company Profile
Brain 6 Unlock Company Profile
Zume 6 Unlock Company Profile
Here 5 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 5 Unlock Company Profile
eBay 5 Unlock Company Profile
Rakuten Group 5 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic 4 Unlock Company Profile
Hydra 3 Unlock Company Profile
Delphi Automotive Systems 2 Unlock Company Profile
Infobank 2 Unlock Company Profile
Global Mobility Service 2 Unlock Company Profile
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners 2 Unlock Company Profile
TECHTOM 2 Unlock Company Profile
Bizmodeline 2 Unlock Company Profile
AT&T 2 Unlock Company Profile
Vanderhall Motor Works 2 Unlock Company Profile
Home Valet 2 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

In terms of patents filed, Nuro is the leading company, followed by Walmart and Cox Enterprises. In October 2021, another leading patent filer in this space, FedEx, tested an autonomous delivery vehicle in China. It collaborated with Neolix, one of the leading companies in autonomous technology for this initiative. This test is a part of FedEx’s efforts in China to adopt intelligent and sustainable logistics.

In terms of application diversity, the leading company in the AI-powered autonomous delivery management space is  Emerging Automotive, while Samsung Group and Oshkosh are in the second and third positions, respectively.

By means of geographic reach, Nuro is the leading company, followed by FedEx and Nio.

Autonomous delivery systems gained traction amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers sought contactless deliveries to avoid transmission. After the pandemic, convenience, accuracy, and operational efficiency offered by these systems make them desirable for companies and consumers alike.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the consumer industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Consumer Goods.

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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.