Intuitive Surgical Inc Segments

Our principal products include the da Vinci Surgical System and a variety of multiple-use EndoWrist instruments and accessories.

da Vinci Surgical System

Our da Vinci Surgical System is comprised of the following components:

• Surgeon’s Console. The da Vinci Surgical System allows the surgeon to operate while comfortably seated at an ergonomic console viewing a 3-D image of the surgical field. The surgeon’s fingers grasp the instrument controls below the display with hands naturally positioned relative to his or her eyes. Using hardware, software, algorithms, mechanics and optics, our technology is designed to seamlessly translate the surgeon’s hand movements into precise and corresponding real-time micro movements of the EndoWrist instruments positioned inside the patient.

• Patient-Side Cart. The patient-side cart, which can be easily moved next to the operating table, holds electromechanical arms that manipulate the instruments inside the patient. Up to four arms attached to the cart can be easily positioned as appropriate, and then locked into place. The first two arms, one representing the left hand and one representing the right hand of the surgeon, hold our EndoWrist instruments. The third arm positions the endoscope, allowing the surgeon to easily move, zoom and rotate his or her field of vision. The fourth arm option provides additional surgical capabilities by holding an additional EndoWrist instrument as well as potentially reducing the need for an assistant surgeon. The surgeon has a choice of simultaneously controlling any two of the operating arms by tapping a foot pedal underneath the surgeon’s console. The fourth arm is available as an option on standard da Vinci Surgical Systems and can be added as an upgrade to existing three-arm da Vinci Surgical Systems.

• 3-D Vision System. Our vision system includes our InSite three dimensional, or 3-D, endoscope with two separate vision channels linked to two separate color monitors. Our vision system also incorporates our InSite image processing equipment comprised of high performance video cameras and specialized edge enhancement and noise reduction equipment. The resulting 3-D image has high resolution and contrast and no flicker or cross fading, which sometimes occurs in single monitor systems, and minimizes eye fatigue. Our vision system allows the surgeon to move his or her head in the viewer without affecting image quality. In January 2007, we launched the high definition (HD) vision system. The HD vision system provides 20% more viewing area and enhances visualization of tissue planes and critical anatomy compared with our standard vision system. The digital zoom feature in the 3-D HD vision system allows surgeons to magnify the surgical field of view without adjusting endoscope position and reduces interference between the endoscope and instruments. We believe the new 3-D HD vision system enables improved surgical outcomes. The 3-D HD vision is available as an option on new da Vinci S Surgical Systems and as an upgrade option to our existing customers who own a da Vinci S Surgical System.

• 3-Arm da Vinci S Surgical System. During the second quarter of 2007, we launched the 3-arm da Vinci S Surgical System. The 3-arm da Vinci S Surgical System shares the same core functionality of the da Vinci S Surgical System including a streamlined interface, a motorized patient cart, quick-click cannula mounts and single-use sterile adapters for rapid instrument exchange. The 3-arm da Vinci S Surgical System includes a standard definition 3-D vision system and a patient-side cart with two instrument arms. The 3-arm da Vinci S Surgical System is an addition to the da Vinci S product line and can be upgraded in the future to the full capability of a 4-arm da Vinci S system with HD vision.

EndoWrist Instruments and Intuitive Accessories

We manufacture a variety of EndoWrist instruments, each of which incorporates wrist joints for natural dexterity, with tips customized for various surgical procedures. These EndoWrist instruments are approximately five or eight millimeters in diameter. The instruments mount onto the electromechanical arms that represent the surgeon’s left and right hands and provide the mechanical capability necessary for performing complex tissue manipulations through ports. At their tips, the various EndoWrist instruments include forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels and other surgical tools that are familiar to the surgeon from open surgery and MIS. Generally, a variety of EndoWrist instruments are selected and used interchangeably during a surgery. Where instrument tips need to incorporate a disposable component, such as scalpel blades, we sell disposable inserts. We plan to continue to add new types of EndoWrist instruments for additional types of surgical procedures.

Other Products

Other products include the AESOP Endoscope Positioner, a surgical robot capable of positioning an endoscope in response to a surgeon’s commands, the ZEUS Surgical System, a robotic platform designed to improve a surgeon’s ability to perform complex surgical procedures, the HERMES Control Center, a voice activated operating room control system designed to enable a surgeon to directly control multiple operating room devices through simple verbal commands, and the SOCRATES Telementoring System, an interactive telecollaborative system allowing a surgeon to mentor and collaborate with another surgeon during an operation. We are no longer promoting the AESOP, HERMES, ZEUS and SOCRATES products; however, we continue to support systems that are installed at customer sites. We have discontinued pursuing any further regulatory approvals for these four products.