The geography of Industry 4.0 technologies across European regions
研究了2000-2014年间欧洲NUTS-2区域中机器人、3D打印、大数据和物联网四项核心技术的专利空间分布，发现区域吸收能力、认知邻近性和空间邻近性驱动知识流动，但不同技术存在差异。
This paper investigates the spatial distribution of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) considering both region- and technology-specific factors. Focusing on patent data for four technologies at the core of I4.0 between 2000 and 2014, we provide evidence of their uneven distribution across NUTS-2 European regions. Our analysis confirms the role of regional absorptive capacity, cognitive and spatial proximity as drivers of I4.0 knowledge flows, but also indicates important variations among these technologies. Cumulated technological capabilities and spatial proximity exert a stronger effect on the diffusion of robots and 3D printing, whereas big data and the Internet of Things tend to be more spatially distributed.