Intuitive Surgical is embedding artificial intelligence into its robotic surgery systems to improve precision and address longstanding technical challenges in procedures like lung biopsies and cardiac operations. The company, which operates over 11,000 da Vinci systems worldwide and has performed more than 16 million procedures through 2024, draws from a vast data repository to refine its technology and expand into new surgical applications.
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Intuitive Surgical, operator of the da Vinci robotic surgery system, is using AI to improve its technologies. The company's Ion system now features AI-powered enhanced navigation to address a challenge in lung biopsies called CT-to-body divergence, where a lung nodule is in a different location than expected. The da Vinci 5 system was recently approved for certain cardiac procedures.
Why it matters
Intuitive Surgical sits on data from more than 10 million procedures performed with its systems worldwide and is leveraging AI to draw insights that improve the systems further. The company commands the robotic surgery market with over 11,106 da Vinci systems installed across 72 countries. About three-quarters of its revenue comes from servicing and supplies—recurring revenue—making the business model durable.
What to watch
In its most recent quarter, Intuitive reported worldwide procedures up 18% year over year and 532 da Vinci systems installed, with revenue up 19% year over year. The stock was not identified as one of the 10 best stocks by Motley Fool Stock Advisor's analyst team at the time of this article's writing.
Intuitive Surgical has built dominant market position in robotic surgery over many years, with the da Vinci system now established across healthcare systems globally. Every 11.75 seconds, a surgeon begins a procedure with a da Vinci system, underscoring the platform's deep integration into surgical practice. The company is now extending its advantage by applying artificial intelligence to the vast procedural data it has accumulated—over 10 million procedures—to enhance existing systems and enable new applications like cardiac surgery. The recent regulatory approvals for the da Vinci 5 in cardiac procedures and the AI-powered navigation improvements to the Ion system show the company is not resting on its installed base but actively expanding the range of surgeries that can be performed robotically.
The business model itself provides a structural moat: the recurring revenue from supplies and servicing means that each installed system generates ongoing cash flow, making the company less vulnerable to market downturns in new equipment sales. However, the analyst team at Motley Fool Stock Advisor did not rank Intuitive Surgical among their top 10 stock picks as of the article's publication date, suggesting that while the company remains well-positioned, its valuation may not present an obvious entry point for new investors at the time.
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