Description of the Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of the Business	DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESSIntuitive Surgical, Inc. (“Intuitive” or the “Company”) develops, manufactures, and markets the da Vinci^® Surgical System and the Ion^TM endoluminal system. The Company’s products and related services enable physicians and healthcare providers to improve the quality of and access to minimally invasive care. The systems consist of a surgeon console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a high-performance vision system, and proprietary instruments and accessories.

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.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 275
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=99393423&loc=d3e5967-108592

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 275
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2134479

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