Technological Improvement Rates and Evolution of Energy-Based Therapeutics
Name
fmedt-03-714140.pdf
Size
3.52 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
6d211e24b23b7aa8edd2f710042ff2e4
Author(s)
Basnet, Subarna
Magee, Christopher L.
Date Issued
September 2021
Journal
Frontiers in Medical Technology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Citation
Basnet, Subarna et al. "Technological Improvement Rates and Evolution of Energy-Based Therapeutics." Frontiers in Medical Technology 3 (September 2021): 714140. © 2021 Basnet and Magee
Version
Final published version
Abstract
This paper examines the field of energy-based medical therapies based on the analysis of patents. We define the field as the use of external stimuli to achieve biomedical modifications to treat disease and to increase health. Based upon distinct sets of patents, the field is subdivided into sub-domains for each energy category used to achieve the stimulation: electrical, magnetic, microwave, ultrasound, and optical. Previously developed techniques are used to retrieve the relevant patents for each of the stimulation modes and to determine main paths along the trajectory followed by each sub-domain. The patent sets are analyzed to determine key assignees, number of patents, and dates of emergence of the sub-domains. The sub-domains are found to be largely independent as to patent assignees. Electrical and magnetic stimulation patents emerged earliest in the 1970s and microwave most recently around 1990. The annual rate of improvement of all sub-domains (12–85%) is found to be significantly higher than one we find for an aggregate pharmaceutical domain (5%). Overall, the results suggest an increasingly important role for energy-based therapies in the future of medicine.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmedt.2021.714140
