Exploring technological landscape to uncover technological opportunities for immersive technologies in the Metaverse using patent data

Understanding the technological landscape of immersive technologies within the Metaverse is essential for identifying emerging opportunities and guiding strategic R&D investments. This study presents a patent landscaping approach that integrates context-aware textual analysis using Augmented Sentence-BERT (AugSBERT) with structured patent classification data to assess technological development. AugSBERT is employed to generate semantic representations of patent texts, while classification data offer a complementary structured perspective. Similarity scores derived from both sources are used to identify technological clusters through spectral clustering, which is well-suited for detecting complex patterns in high-dimensional data. These clusters are visualized using a technology strategy map, and their significance is evaluated through key patent indicators to uncover areas of innovation potential. The findings highlight several key trends in immersive technologies. Human-computer interaction remains a highly competitive area, while mixed reality demonstrates notable growth potential despite a lower current impact. Emerging applications in healthcare and robotics are becoming increasingly relevant, while domains such as commerce and stereoscopic imaging present uncertain prospects that may require more cautious investment strategies. Meanwhile, head-mounted displays (HMDs) and gaming technologies appear to be technologically mature, suggesting the need for selective and strategic engagement. This study provides a structured exploration of immersive technology developments within the Metaverse, identifying key clusters and highlighting emerging areas of interest. The results offer practical insights for firms and policymakers seeking to align R&D efforts with evolving technological trends in this rapidly developing field.