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Description of the Business | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Description of the Business | DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci® Surgical Systems and related instruments and accessories, which taken together, are advanced surgical systems that the Company considers an advanced generation of surgery. This advanced generation of surgery, which the Company calls da Vinci Surgery, combines the benefits of MIS for patients with the ease of use, precision and dexterity of open surgery. A da Vinci Surgical System consists of a surgeon’s console, a patient-side cart, and a high performance vision system. The da Vinci Surgical System translates a surgeon’s natural hand movements, which are performed on instrument controls at a console, into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small incisions, or ports. The da Vinci Surgical System is designed to provide its operating surgeons with intuitive control, range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability, and 3-D HD vision while simultaneously allowing surgeons to work through the small ports enabled by MIS procedures.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the nature of an entity's business, major products or services, principal markets including location, and the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination, including but not limited to, assets, revenues, or earnings. For an entity that has not commenced principal operations, disclosures about the risks and uncertainties related to the activities in which the entity is currently engaged and an understanding of what those activities are being directed toward. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2134479 + Details
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