Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies - Amortized Cost by Credit Quality (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Sales-type Lease, Net Investment in Lease, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]
2021	$ 219.1
2020	115.2
2019	38.9
2018	14.1
2017	4.5
Prior	0.8
Subtotal	392.6	$ 275.0
High
Sales-type Lease, Net Investment in Lease, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]
2021	101.7
2020	51.0
2019	18.8
2018	7.0
2017	1.7
Prior	0.0
Subtotal	180.2
Moderate
Sales-type Lease, Net Investment in Lease, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]
2021	109.3
2020	62.6
2019	18.8
2018	7.0
2017	2.8
Prior	0.6
Subtotal	201.1
Low
Sales-type Lease, Net Investment in Lease, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]
2021	8.1
2020	1.6
2019	1.3
2018	0.1
2017	0.0
Prior	0.2
Subtotal	$ 11.3

Amount, before allowance for credit loss, of net investment in sales-type lease.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123577603&loc=SL6953401-111524

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 14
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124255953&loc=SL82919253-210447

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124255206&loc=SL82895884-210446

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124258985&loc=SL77919379-209981

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLease
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseCreditQualityIndicatorLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of net investment in sales-type lease originated more than five years prior to current fiscal year.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 326
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=124255953&loc=SL82919232-210447

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseOriginatedFiveOrMoreYearsBeforeLatestFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of net investment in sales-type lease originated four years prior to current fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseOriginatedFourYearsBeforeLatestFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of net investment in sales-type lease originated in current fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseOriginatedInCurrentFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of net investment in sales-type lease originated in fiscal year prior to current fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseOriginatedInFiscalYearBeforeLatestFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of net investment in sales-type lease originated three years prior to current fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseOriginatedThreeYearsBeforeLatestFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of net investment in sales-type lease originated two years prior to current fiscal year.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SalesTypeLeaseNetInvestmentInLeaseOriginatedTwoYearsBeforeLatestFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InternalCreditAssessmentAxis=isrg_HighCreditRatingMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InternalCreditAssessmentAxis=isrg_ModerateCreditRatingMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InternalCreditAssessmentAxis=isrg_LowCreditRatingMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: