The antecedents of 4.0 technologies: an analysis of European patent data

New 4.0 technologies are spreading in the economy and society. Yet, empirical evidence lags behind conceptual reflections in the analysis of these technologies, their antecedents and the degree of continuity and/or originality with respect to ICTs (i.e. 3.0 technologies). To fill this gap, this paper proposes a large-scale analysis of the full spectrum of 4.0 technologies based on an original and methodologically innovative database of 4.0 inventions in European countries, over the period 2000–2015. The analysis highlights that 4.0 technologies do not overlap in full with 3.0 technologies. Rather, they are the outcome of recombination processes involving substantially diverse and distant technologies.