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Buying guide

da Vinci (and Ion)

By Intuitive Surgical · surgical

Price
$1,800,000-$2,500,000· analyst estimate
Availability
Internal use only (not for retail).
Maturity
production
Real-world use
Yes, 7 verified deployments

Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci is the gold-standard surgical robot and the verified-at-scale anchor of the category. Per Intuitive's SEC filings, 11,395 da Vinci systems and 1,041 Ion endoluminal systems are installed. The lineup spans da Vinci multi-port (X/Xi), the single-port SP, and the fifth-generation da Vinci 5 (FDA cleared March 2024, with force feedback), plus the Ion bronchoscopy robot (FDA 2019). It is teleoperated, a surgeon controls every motion, with shipped analytics AI; autonomous-suturing work exists only as research demos on da Vinci hardware, not as shipped product. It is enterprise B2B equipment sold to hospitals at multi-million-dollar per-system prices; there is no consumer price.

Readiness

da Vinci (and Ion) is internal use only (not for retail) at $1,800,000-$2,500,000 (analyst estimate) or $1,500,000-$2,500,000 (actual sale price), the 1 capability claim on file is all teleoperated-assisted with verified, 7 verified deployments are on file, and 11 incidents are on record.

Availability
internal-only

Internal use only (not for retail).

see evidence →

Price honesty
actual-sale-price

2 prices on file: $1,800,000-$2,500,000 (analyst estimate), $1,500,000-$2,500,000 (actual sale price).

see evidence →

Capability honesty
teleoperated-assisted

1 reviewed claim: teleoperated-assisted, verified.

see evidence →

Real-world use
production

Maturity: production. 7 verified deployments in the registry.

see evidence →

Safety record
incidents-on-file

11 incidents on record across 7 verified deployments.

see evidence →

What it claims to do

Price

Real-world use

Safety record

Privacy

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for da Vinci (and Ion).

Specs

dof
7
notes
  • Verified (production anchor): Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG; founded 1995, Sunnyvale CA) is the dominant incumbent and the verified gold standard. VERIFIED installed base (SEC 10-Q, 3/31/2026): 11,395 da Vinci systems (+12% YoY), of which 1,464 are da Vinci 5; plus 1,041 Ion systems (+22% YoY). Q1 2026 procedures +17% worldwide; 431 da Vinci placed (232 of them da Vinci 5). da Vinci 5 FDA-cleared Mar 14 2024; Ion FDA-cleared Feb 2019.
  • Axis-extension framing: Surgical robotics is physical AI operating in the MEDICAL regulatory regime. FDA clearance is the verified gating event for maturity. Intuitive clears it across multiple platforms + generations -> production.
  • AI-substance: teleop baseline + shipped analytics AI; autonomy demo-only: da Vinci is master-slave teleoperated. SHIPPED AI: Case Insights (AI analysis of system/kinematics/video for surgeon performance) and machine-vision interface features; Force Feedback is a shipped sensing feature (not autonomy). Autonomous suturing/tissue-lifting via VLMs (Johns Hopkins/Stanford) are RESEARCH demonstrations on da Vinci hardware, NOT shipped. 4,000-mile telesurgery is investigational/in-development.
  • Claimed but NOT verified: '43% less force' is a preclinical/marketing figure, not an outcomes-verified clinical result. The 1,464 da Vinci 5 subfigure is company-reported (corroborated, model-level breakout).
products
da Vinci multi-port (X / Xi), da Vinci SP single-port, da Vinci 5 (5th-gen, FDA 510(k) Mar 14 2024, Force Feedback), and Ion endoluminal robotic bronchoscopy (FDA Feb 2019).
height_cm
175.3
weight_kg
544
formFactor
surgical (teleoperated master-slave multi-port + single-port surgical robot; + endoluminal robotic bronchoscopy)
fda_clearance
da Vinci 5 FDA 510(k) cleared March 14, 2024; Ion FDA cleared February 2019
clearance_body
FDA

What's under the hood

No brain on file for da Vinci (and Ion).

Frequently asked questions

Is the da Vinci (and Ion) actually available for purchase?
Not available to consumers. In internal use by Intuitive Surgical.Source: Intuitive Form 10-Q (Q1 2026): 11,395 da Vinci installed (1,464 da Vinci 5); 1,041 Ion
What does the da Vinci (and Ion) cost?
da Vinci (and Ion) has 2 prices on file: $1,800,000-$2,500,000 one-time (analyst estimate) and $1,500,000-$2,500,000 one-time (actual sale price).Sources: How Much is a Surgical Robot? (2025 Edition) — R2 Surgical / MassDEVICE da Vinci 5 launch, Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Xi system — capital equipment unit price $1.5M–$2.5M per system, as documented in multiple hospital procurement analyses and Intuitive Surgical SEC 10-K annual reports (CIK 1035267). In fiscal 2023, Intuitive placed 1,370 da Vinci systems globally; total capital equipment revenue per filing implies per-system ASP in this range. Additionally documented in peer-reviewed surgical economics literature (JAMA, Annals of Surgery) and hospital capital budget disclosures.
Does the da Vinci (and Ion) really assists surgery?
Verified at teleoperator-assisted autonomy; not fully autonomous.Sources: da Vinci Surgical System -- Intuitive Surgical product page; multi-arm robotic-assisted surgical platform used in prostatectomy, hysterectomy, and other minimally invasive procedures; surgeon controls instrument arms from a console, Intuitive Surgical IR -- public company NASDAQ: ISRG; Q4 2023 earnings reported more than 8,500 da Vinci systems installed worldwide; over 10 million procedures performed to date
Where is the da Vinci (and Ion) being used?
da Vinci (and Ion) is in use at: United States (2024-12-01), United States (2024-08-01), United States (2024-04-01), Japan (2009-01-01), and European Union (2001-01-01), plus 2 more.Source: University Hospitals first health system in Northeast Ohio utilizing da Vinci 5
Is the da Vinci (and Ion) safe?
Incidents on record: 11 (10 recall, 1 regulatory_action). See da Vinci 8mm SureForm 30 Gray stapler reload recall after incomplete staple lines (1 death, 4 serious injuries).Source: da Vinci 8mm SureForm 30 Gray stapler reload recall after incomplete staple lines (1 death, 4 serious injuries)
How does the da Vinci (and Ion) handle privacy?
No privacy practices disclosed or on file for da Vinci (and Ion).
Who makes the da Vinci (and Ion)?
da Vinci (and Ion) is made by Intuitive Surgical, based in Sunnyvale, California, USA.Source: Intuitive Form 10-Q (Q1 2026): 11,395 da Vinci installed (1,464 da Vinci 5); 1,041 Ion

Video

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical's look at single-incision surgery with the da Vinci SP single-port system. Surgeon-controlled from a master console, never autonomous; the single-incision indications are the SP's cleared procedures.

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical's overview of the da Vinci SP single-port system, which passes three wristed instruments and a camera through a single cannula. Surgeon-teleoperated, never autonomous.

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive Surgical's introduction of the da Vinci Xi, a multi-port surgeon-teleoperated robotic surgery system. A surgeon operates it from a master console; it is never autonomous.

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive's introduction of its da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system. The da Vinci is teleoperated by a surgeon from a console, not autonomous.

Manufacturer

Intuitive Surgical (registry record: /companies/intuitive-surgical)

Compare side by side

Sources

  1. Intuitive Form 10-Q (Q1 2026): 11,395 da Vinci installed (1,464 da Vinci 5); 1,041 Ion · https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001035267/000103526726000032/isrg-20260331.htm
  2. Intuitive Q1 2026 earnings (procedures +17%; 431 da Vinci placed; revenue $2.77B) · https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1035267/000103526726000029/q126ex-991earningsrelease.htm
  3. Intuitive: FDA clearance of da Vinci 5 (510(k), Mar 14 2024; Force Feedback) · https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/03/14/2846718/7637/en/Intuitive-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Fifth-Generation-Robotic-System-da-Vinci-5.html
  4. Intuitive demos 4,000-mile telesurgery (investigational, in development) · https://www.therobotreport.com/intuitive-demos-4000-mile-telesurgery-with-da-vinci-5-surgical-robot/
  5. da Vinci 5 Force Feedback (up to 43% less force, preclinical/marketing figure) · https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/intuitive-launches-latest-da-vinci-robot-force-feedback-controls
  6. Da Vinci · https://robotsguide.com/robots/davinci
  7. da Vinci Surgical System -- Intuitive Surgical product page; multi-arm robotic-assisted surgical platform used in prostatectomy, hysterectomy, and other minimally invasive procedures; surgeon controls instrument arms from a console · https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/da-vinci
  8. Intuitive Surgical IR -- public company NASDAQ: ISRG; Q4 2023 earnings reported more than 8,500 da Vinci systems installed worldwide; over 10 million procedures performed to date · https://isrg.com/
  9. Intuitive Surgical official YouTube (@Intuitive), embedded under standard YouTube embed terms. oEmbed author_url verified 2026-06-04. Maker product video; surgeon-teleoperated/assisted system, not autonomous. · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxIuOdny2cs · 2026-06-04
  10. How Much is a Surgical Robot? (2025 Edition) — R2 Surgical / MassDEVICE da Vinci 5 launch · https://r2surgical.com/blogs/news/how-much-is-a-surgical-robot-2025-edition · 2024-03-01
  11. Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Xi system — capital equipment unit price $1.5M–$2.5M per system, as documented in multiple hospital procurement analyses and Intuitive Surgical SEC 10-K annual reports (CIK 1035267). In fiscal 2023, Intuitive placed 1,370 da Vinci systems globally; total capital equipment revenue per filing implies per-system ASP in this range. Additionally documented in peer-reviewed surgical economics literature (JAMA, Annals of Surgery) and hospital capital budget disclosures. · https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=1035267&type=10-K&dateb=&owner=include&count=10 · 2024-02-01
  12. University Hospitals first health system in Northeast Ohio utilizing da Vinci 5 · https://news.uhhospitals.org/news-releases/articles/2024/12/uh-first-health-system-in-northeast-ohio-utilizing-the-da-vinci-5-surgical-robot
  13. Tampa General Hospital acquires new Intuitive da Vinci 5 Surgical System · https://www.tgh.org/news/tgh-press-releases/2024/august/tampa-general-hospital-new-intuitive-da-vinci-5-surgical-system
  14. Hackensack UMC among first hospitals in the world to acquire and use the da Vinci 5 · https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/news/2024/04/10/hmhumc-among-first-hospitals-use-the-da-vinci-5
  15. Hackensack UMC first-in-world da Vinci 5 use (PR Newswire) · https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hackensack-meridian-hackensack-university-medical-center-among-first-hospitals-in-the-world-to-acquire-and-use-the-da-vinci-5-multiport-robotic-surgical-system-302110530.html
  16. Intuitive global presence · https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/about-us/company-profile
  17. Robotic surgery adoption in Japan · https://www.japan.go.jp/japan-news/robotic-surgery-japan.html
  18. Intuitive Q4 2025 Results · http://investor.intuitivesurgical.com/news-releases/news-release-details/intuitive-announces-preliminary-four-quarter-and-full-year-5
  19. da Vinci systems - global availability · https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/da-vinci/systems
  20. Intuitive gets EU approval for next-gen da Vinci 5 · https://www.mddionline.com/regulatory/intuitive-surgical-gets-eu-approval-next-gen-da-vinci-5
  21. Da Vinci 5 Surgical Robot: NVIDIA's 10,000x Compute Leap · https://x.com/ReviewingNews/article/2058176073716707425 · 2000-07-01
  22. Intuitive Q4 2025 earnings · https://investor.intuitive.com/news-releases/news-release-details/intuitive-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2025-results
  23. Intuitive Q3 2025 Investor Presentation · https://isrg.intuitive.com/static-files/500ff989-ad91-4b32-a59e-f94a34d75997

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