SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	3 Months Ended
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”) of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries have been prepared on a consistent basis with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and include all adjustments, consisting of only normal, recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the information set forth herein. The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and, therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the Financial Statements in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). These Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on February 3, 2022. The results of operations for the first three months of 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year or any future periods.
Consolidation and Joint Ventures	The Financial Statements include the results and balances of the Company’s majority-owned joint venture (“Joint Venture”) with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Fosun Pharma”). Chindex Medical Limited (“Chindex”), a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma, has been its distribution partner for da Vinci Surgical Systems in China. The Company holds a controlling financial interest in the Joint Venture, and the noncontrolling interest is reflected as a separate component of the consolidated stockholders’ equity. The noncontrolling interest’s share of the earnings in the Joint Venture is presented separately in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Business Combinations In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2021-08”), which creates an exception to the general recognition and measurement principle in ASC 805 by requiring companies to apply ASC 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers acquired in a business combination. The guidance additionally clarifies that companies should apply the definition of a performance obligation in ASC 606 when recognizing contract liabilities assumed in a business combination. The Company has early adopted ASU 2021-08 as of January 1, 2022, on a prospective basis. The impact of the adoption of ASU 2021-08 cannot currently be determined, as it is dependent on future business combinations that the Company may enter into. Significant Accounting Policies There have been no new or material changes to the significant accounting policies discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, that are of significance, or potential significance, to the Company.