Robotics in the Context of Industry 4.0: Patenting Activities in Poland and Their Comparison with Global Developments
Robotics in the Context of Industry 4.0: Patenting Activities in Poland and Their Comparison with Global Developments

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses patenting in the field of robotics in Poland as the key technological area supportingthe Industry 4.0 transformation. The article answers six detailed research questions that unveil variousaspects of robotics inventions in Poland and compare the situation in Poland with global trends in roboticspatenting. The research is based on bibliometric techniques and the use of datasets regarding patentapplications from the Polish Patent Office and the Derwent Innovation Index databases. The extent ofrobotic patenting in Poland is discussed, with distinctive tendencies observed among businesses, highereducation institutes, individual inventors and public research organisations, as well as the phenomenonof inter-sectoral collaboration, geographical distribution and thematic diversity of patenting activities. Intersectoraland international comparisons are based on themes that coincide with the sub-classes of theInternational Patent Classification. The analysis reveals gaps in the adoption and development of roboticsin Poland, the marginal popularity of the field, limited inflow of locally developed, innovative solutionsand a small number of companies engaged in patenting activities. The present, unsatisfactory progresstowards the Industry 4.0 model opens up opportunities for future developments, motivating private andpublic actors in the innovation system to mobilize intellectual and inventive resources and follow globaltrends in order to bridge gaps in the development and adoption of these important technologies.

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