Air Taxis, Autonomous Cars, and Reusable Rockets are just a few of the future transportation innovations that inventors worldwide are striving to make a reality, while combustion engine patents are “declining,” according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The latest information, extracted from patent applications featured in the Future Transport Technology Trends report, provides an enticing glimpse into innovations of a not-so-distant future, where there will be less pollution from traffic, fewer traffic jams, and the ability to travel across the world by plane in just a few hours.
“The patent analysis shows that inventors are working hard to ensure that the way we move tomorrow is cleaner and better than today,” maintained WIPO, adding that patent applications for future transport solutions have grown by 700% in the last two decades, increasing from 15,000 inventions in 2003 to 120,000 in 2023.
“Autonomous ships and smart ports are revolutionizing maritime transport; electric vehicles, high-speed trains, and intelligent traffic management systems are driving change on land,” insisted the agency.
Innovations in the Future of Air and Space Transport
Furthermore, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are offering new ways to travel by air, while reusable rockets and satellite technology are pushing the boundaries beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
The driving force behind this trend is the recognition that transportation is responsible for over one-third of CO2 emissions worldwide, which has fostered the development of sustainable technologies that reduce their environmental impact.
These include the adoption of electric propulsion, the shift to renewable energy sources, and the promotion of public and shared transportation options.
Digitalization and Autonomous Driving
Digitalization is also revolutionizing the transportation sector, insists WIPO, pointing out the rise of autonomous driving, “which is expected to generate between 300,000 and 400,000 billion dollars in revenue by 2035.”
According to the UN agency based in Geneva, intellectual property supports such revolutionary innovations, like wireless charging for electric vehicles, encouraging investment in research and development.
Competition is fierce as companies vie for access to rare minerals, while artificial intelligence is also gaining prominence.
The report shows stagnant growth in patenting activity for legacy products like internal combustion engines and other fossil fuel-based systems, such as catalytic converters.
Sustainable Innovations for the Future
Their data indicates that over 1.1 million inventions have reshaped transportation since 2000, introducing the prospect of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based systems, such as renewable energy cells, air taxis, and autopiloted cargo ships.
Leading this transformation in travel are China, Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Germany, representing the top inventors globally.
Land transport patents dominate global applications, 3.5 times more than air, sea, and space transport combined. The United States, on the other hand, leads in international patent applications.
The fastest-growing area in patents is related to sustainable propulsion, such as batteries for electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cells, representing an effort to ensure that people and goods travel in a “cleaner and climate-friendly” manner.
Experts in imaginative solutions for future transport assert that artificial intelligence is also poised to play a key role. They highlight the rise of autonomous driving, though infrastructure has not adapted quickly enough for these vehicles to take over, according to the report.
The Dilemma of Drones
Meanwhile, mineral scarcity will determine whether the world can massively adopt electric cars, vehicles that, according to Christopher Harrison, co-author of the report, may not be miraculous solutions for private owners.
“Having these rare and limited raw earth minerals in a personal electric vehicle that is only used a couple of times a day is not an efficient use of those tools,” he told reporters.
In the aviation sector, drones will continue their ascent through the skies.
“I wouldn’t want to look at a sky full of drones delivering pizzas or a pair of gloves to my house and causing visual and noise pollution,” said Robert Garbett, founder of Drone Major Group, quoted in the report.
“If the delivery is made to a remote location that is really hard to reach, people are more likely to accept it as a beneficial solution,” he added, citing emergency medicine as an example.
According to the UN agency, the growth of transport patents in China has been strong, given its recent dominance in the electric vehicle market. But other countries have also contributed with strong activity, such as Sweden, Italy, India, and Canada.
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