The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by driver safety, passenger comfort and dependable interface between driver and vehicle, and growing importance of technologies such as touch-based 3D gesture recognition and swipe gestures. 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 Cloud in Automotive: Gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces. Buy the report here.

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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.

Gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces is a key innovation area in cloud

Gesture-based interfaces and technology enable users to manipulate devices and change objects in the VR environment using their hands and other body parts.

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 70 companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces.

Key players in gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry

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

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

Patent volumes related to gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Apple 293 Unlock Company Profile
Cox Enterprises 213 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil Holding 153 Unlock Company Profile
Microsoft 96 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung Group 92 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 88 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Motor Group 74 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 67 Unlock Company Profile
Meta Platforms 65 Unlock Company Profile
LG 53 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 51 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Electric 46 Unlock Company Profile
Crown Equipment 41 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 40 Unlock Company Profile
MondayCom 38 Unlock Company Profile
Kia 37 Unlock Company Profile
BYD 34 Unlock Company Profile
Snap-on 32 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 30 Unlock Company Profile
Robert Bosch Stiftung 30 Unlock Company Profile
Denso 27 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines 26 Unlock Company Profile
Flex 24 Unlock Company Profile
Bayerische Motoren Werke 23 Unlock Company Profile
Lutron Electronics 22 Unlock Company Profile
Fujifilm Holdings 22 Unlock Company Profile
Panasonic 18 Unlock Company Profile
Tokai Rika 18 Unlock Company Profile
Tobii 18 Unlock Company Profile
Neonode 18 Unlock Company Profile
Open Invention Network 16 Unlock Company Profile
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 13 Unlock Company Profile
Hon Hai Precision Industry 13 Unlock Company Profile
Faurecia 12 Unlock Company Profile
BlackBerry 12 Unlock Company Profile
Kyocera 11 Unlock Company Profile
Tata Motors 11 Unlock Company Profile
SMK 11 Unlock Company Profile
BCS Automotive Interface Solutions 10 Unlock Company Profile
Sonos 10 Unlock Company Profile
InterDigital 9 Unlock Company Profile
TomTom 9 Unlock Company Profile
PixArt Imaging 9 Unlock Company Profile
Marelli Holdings 9 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 9 Unlock Company Profile
Cerence 8 Unlock Company Profile
Zeppelin-Stiftung 8 Unlock Company Profile
Polaris 8 Unlock Company Profile
China Pacific Insurance (Group) 8 Unlock Company Profile
Continental 8 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Apple is the top player in gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces. The Apple Watch’s assistive touch helps users who have difficulty touching the screen or pressing the buttons. The built-in sensors can help answer calls, control an onscreen pointer, and launch a menu of actions using hand gestures. Porsche Automobil, Microsoft, Cox Enterprises and Honda are the other key players in gesture-sensing AR/VR interfaces.

To further understand how cloud is disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.

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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.