The travel & tourism industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by a greater desire from consumers for personalized offerings that heighten the traveler experience, and the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, and cloud In the last three years alone, there have been over 6,000 patents filed and granted in the travel & tourism industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Robotics in travel & tourism: autonomous carts. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 11,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the travel & tourism industry, there are 15+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Autonomous carts is a key innovation area in robotics
Autonomous carts are self-driving vehicles that can operate without human intervention. They can be used for various purposes, such as transportation of people and luggage at airports.
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 15+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established travel & tourism companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of autonomous carts.
Key players in autonomous carts – a disruptive innovation in the travel & tourism 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 carts
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Nuro | 131 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance | 61 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toyota Motor | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Emerging Automotive | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| International Business Machines | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Denso | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hitachi | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Honda Motor | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Miso Robotics | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Amadeus IT Group | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Marriott International | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Airbnb | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hua-Chuang Automobile Information Technical Center | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Aptiv | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NEC | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
The specialist nature of this technology is reflected by the leading players. Rather than travel companies, it is automotive companies such as Toyota Motor (31 patents in the last five years) and Honda Motor (six patents in the last five years) that are notable by their presence. However, by far and away the leading patent filer in this technology is robotics specialist Nuro, which has lodged 123 applications since the start of 2019.
The lack of involvement from travel companies, such as hotel chains and airports, does not mean that autonomous carts are not a disruptive technology in the travel space. It is instead a sign that adopters of this technology, such as Incheon and Heathrow Airports, would prefer to focus on core operations and use the technology developed by specialists in the field of autonomous transportation.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the travel & tourism industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Robotics in Travel and Tourism.
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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.
