Inaugural WIPO Technology SPARK report analyzes patents for mine action technologies, highlighting innovation trends and key players.
Last week, WIPO unveiled its new Technology SPARK report series with the release of "Technologies for Mine Action," a short analysis of the global patent landscape surrounding humanitarian demining solutions. The report was officially launched at the GICHD Innovation Conference 2025, marking the debut of WIPO's innovative SPARK initiative designed to illuminate topical and emerging technology areas through focused IP analytics.
The inaugural WIPO Technology SPARK report examines patent filing trends, technological developments, and key innovators in mine action technologies – a critical field addressing the global humanitarian challenge posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war. The analysis reveals significant innovation activity in detection technologies, protective equipment and clearance systems, with notable growth in AI-powered detection solutions and robotic demining systems.
Strategic launch at the GICHD Innovation Conference
The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) contributed to the project by providing expert input and guidance, ensuring that the report’s findings have a practical relevance for the mine action sector. The timing of the report's launch at the GICHD Innovation Conference 2025 underscores the strategic alignment between WIPO's IP analytics capabilities and the mine action community's need for innovation intelligence. The conference, which brought together 400+ leading experts, researchers and practitioners in humanitarian demining, provided an ideal platform to introduce the WIPO Technology SPARK report series.
The collaboration between WIPO and GICHD highlights the importance of IP analytics in understanding and advancing humanitarian technologies. By presenting the findings at this specialized forum, WIPO aims to foster greater integration between patent intelligence and practical mine action innovation efforts.
The WIPO Technology SPARK report series represents a new dimension in WIPO's growing IP analytics portfolio. By focusing on specific topical or emerging technology areas, the initiative aims to provide stakeholders with actionable intelligence that can guide research directions, policy decisions and innovation strategies.
Key findings from the Mine Action SPARK report
The report identifies several critical technology trends shaping the mine action field:
- Detection technologies: Patent activity shows increased focus on ground-penetrating radar, metal detection systems, and emerging biosensor applications;
- Automated systems: Growing innovation in unmanned systems and robotics for safe mine clearance operations;
- Data analytics: Rising patent filings related to machine learning and AI applications for threat assessment and clearance planning;
- Protection technologies: Continued development of personal protective equipment and blast-resistant materials.
The analysis covers patent data from patent offices worldwide, providing insights into geographic innovation patterns, top patent assignees and technological evolution over the past two decades.
Introducing the WIPO Technology SPARK report series
The new WIPO Technology SPARK (Specific Patent Analytics for Research and Knowledge) report series is designed to provide short but focused analyses of topical or emerging technology areas. Unlike WIPO's broader WIPO Technology Trend reports or WIPO Patent Landscape Reports, WIPO Technology SPARK publications offer concentrated examinations of specific innovation ecosystems.
Future SPARK reports are planned for 2026 and beyond. If there is a topical or emerging technology that you think deserves a closer look, we would be happy to hear your ideas, so please do contact us.