SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	9 Months Ended
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Sep. 30, 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 nine 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 and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Business Combinations In October 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“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 had an immaterial impact on the Company’s Financial Statements in the nine months ended September 30, 2022. Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions (“ASU 2022-03”), which applies to all equity securities measured at fair value that are subject to contractual sale restrictions. This change prohibits entities from taking into account contractual restrictions on the sale of equity securities when estimating fair value and introduces required disclosures for such transactions. The Company has early adopted ASU 2022-03 as of July 1, 2022, on a prospective basis. There was no impact of the adoption of ASU 2022-03 on the Company’s Financial Statements in the three months ended September 30, 2022. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-02, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures (“ASU 2022-02”), which eliminates the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings by creditors while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. Additionally, the standard requires disclosure of current-period gross write-offs by year of origination for financing receivables and net investments in leases within the scope of Subtopic ASC 326-20, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses-Measured at Amortized Cost. The standard will become effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2023, and should be applied prospectively. The adoption of ASU 2022-02 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s future Financial Statements. 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.