FDA-cleared software release enhances navigation and broadens access to advanced imaging for lung biopsy procedures Intuitive expands AI and advanced imaging integration in Ion Endoluminal System Ion system during a procedure setup SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intuitive (NASDAQ:ISRG), a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery, today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared software advancements fo ...

The surgical robotics pioneer could cement its leading position for years to come.Shares of Intuitive Surgical (ISRG -0.59%) are down about 26% from a peak they set earlier this year. While 2025 hasn't been a great year to hold shares of the surgical robotics pioneer, there's a very good reason to watch it closely from now through the end of 2026.Intuitive Surgical stock has delivered a 19,510% return since its initial public offering about 25 years ago. It did so by staying ahead of the competition, which ...

Industry Overview - The second half of 2025 has seen a significant increase in robotics adoption across various industries, with global industrial robot installations exceeding $16.5 billion and a 10% increase in operational robots to over 4.28 million [2] - Manufacturing is leading this transformation, with North American robot orders up 4.3% and revenues rising 7.5%, totaling 17,635 robots valued at $1.094 billion in the first half of 2025 [3] - Healthcare robotics is projected to grow from a market size of $4.31 billion in 2024 to $9.60 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 9.26% from 2025 to 2033 [4] - The collaborative robot market is expected to grow from $1.42 billion in 2025 to $3.38 billion by 2030, driven by AI integration [6] - Investment activity in robotics has reached historic levels, with over $6 billion raised globally from January to July 2025 [7] Company Highlights - UiPath is positioned as a compelling investment opportunity with the launch of its UiPath Platform for agentic automation, addressing a $50 billion market for autonomous business process automation [10][11] - Cadence Design Systems made a strategic €2.7 billion acquisition of Hexagon's Design & Engineering business, enhancing its capabilities in robotics and physical AI simulation [12] - NVIDIA has launched significant advancements, including the Isaac GR00T N1.5 humanoid robot foundation model and Jetson Thor, which provides 2,070 FP4 teraflops of AI compute power [13] - Advanced Micro Devices is optimizing digital twin and simulation workloads for next-generation robotics applications through a collaboration with Parallel Domain, enhancing realism and scalability [14]

Group 1 - Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) is recognized as a top stock with significant upside potential, with a Buy rating and a price target of $650 from Bank of America Securities [1] - The company's total addressable market is projected to grow from 1.8 million procedures in 2009 to approximately 8 million procedures by 2025, with a strong focus on cardiovascular procedures [2] - Intuitive Surgical is actively pursuing opportunities in the cardiovascular sector by hiring a head of cardio and posting multiple job openings for cardiovascular sales managers [3] Group 2 - The company is enhancing its technology with innovations such as force feedback and improved visualization features in the da Vinci 5 (dV5) system, aimed at increasing the adoption of robotic procedures in cardiovascular surgeries [3] - Intuitive Surgical develops and markets robotic surgical systems, including the da Vinci surgical system and the Ion endoluminal system [4]

New Force Gauge, In-Console Video Replay, and Network CCM features designed for enhanced efficiencySUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intuitive (Nasdaq: ISRG), a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery, today announced the first in a series of new software capabilities for da Vinci 5, designed to enhance surgeon and hospital efficiency through the delivery of a range of real-time surgical insights. Da Vinci 5 has more than 10,000 tim ...

Core Insights - The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is enhancing the robotics sector, providing greater precision, flexibility, and adaptability [1] - Investors are increasingly focusing on AI infrastructure through hyperscalers and semiconductor stocks, but robotics stocks may offer unique investment opportunities with large total addressable markets (TAMs) [2] Group 1: Intuitive Surgical - Intuitive Surgical is recognized as a pioneer in surgical robotics, with its da Vinci surgical system leading the market and having over 11,000 installations globally [4] - The company benefits from a significant services business, with annual recurring revenue (ARR) now constituting over 80% of total revenue [4] - The incorporation of AI into the da Vinci system enhances surgical precision and outcomes, aiming to shorten procedures [5] - Despite strong earnings, Intuitive Surgical's stock has declined, trading at approximately 74 times forward earnings, which is considered high for a medical stock [6][7] - The stock is currently trading below the consensus price target of $565.95, indicating a potential upside of more than 25% [7] Group 2: Symbotic - Symbotic focuses on warehouse robotics, creating autonomous systems that convert warehouses into AI-powered logistics hubs [10] - The partnership with Walmart provides a significant platform for scaling operations across retail and logistics [11] - Symbotic's robots outperform human labor in speed and accuracy, addressing challenges in the current labor-constrained supply chain [11] - The company is not yet profitable due to high capital expenses, leading to a short interest of over 29% in its stock [12] - Recent earnings showed negative earnings despite beating revenue expectations, which may deter some investors [13] Group 3: UiPath - UiPath is a leader in robotic process automation (RPA), focusing on software that streamlines repetitive digital processes [17] - The introduction of generative AI into its software allows for more adaptive and intelligent workflows [18] - UiPath has a strong customer retention rate of 108%, but faces challenges in acquiring new customers in a high-interest-rate environment [19] - The crowded market poses risks for UiPath, although there are signs of oversold conditions in its stock [20]

Core Viewpoint - The article suggests that three industry leaders with strong catalysts and competitive advantages could outperform current AI leaders Nvidia and Palantir over the next decade. Group 1: Nvidia and Palantir - Nvidia has gained over $3.8 trillion in market value since the start of 2023, while Palantir's stock has surged approximately 2,250% during the same period [2] - Nvidia's GPUs, particularly the Hopper and Blackwell models, dominate AI-accelerated data centers, allowing the company to charge a significant premium due to ongoing AI-GPU scarcity [4] - Palantir's platforms, Gotham and Foundry, are essential for federal governments and businesses, driving sales growth and recurring profitability [5] - Both companies may be in a bubble, as historical trends suggest that major innovations often experience bubble-bursting events [6] - Palantir's price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is nearing 121, while Nvidia's is approaching 29, significantly higher than peers [7] Group 2: Potential Competitors - Alibaba Group, with a current market cap of $276 billion, is positioned to potentially surpass Nvidia and Palantir, benefiting from its e-commerce dominance and cloud infrastructure services [10][11] - Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall platforms accounted for an estimated 41% of China's online retail market in 2024, supported by a growing middle class [11] - Alibaba Cloud captured one-third of all cloud infrastructure spending in mainland China, with generative AI solutions expected to drive double-digit sales growth [12] - PayPal Holdings, with a market cap of $71 billion, is also a strong contender, as the global fintech market is projected to grow significantly [14][15] - PayPal's total payment volume increased from $936 billion to an annual run rate of $1.67 trillion, indicating strong engagement from active accounts [16] - Intuitive Surgical, valued at $184 billion, has a stronghold in the robotic-assisted surgical market, with a growing revenue stream from high-margin instruments and services [19][21][22] - The company is expanding its surgical systems' applications, which could sustain double-digit growth for the next decade [23]

Core Viewpoint - Intuitive has successfully demonstrated its telesurgery capabilities by connecting two surgeons remotely to perform a transatlantic surgery at the Society of Robotic Surgery conference, showcasing advancements in robotic-assisted surgery technology [1][2][4]. Company Overview - Intuitive, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a leader in minimally invasive care and robotic surgery, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and care delivery efficiency [11]. - The company has developed the da Vinci surgical system, which has been used in nearly 17 million procedures over 30 years, training almost 90,000 surgeons [8]. Telesurgery Demonstration - The demonstration involved Dr. Doug Stoddard in Georgia and Dr. Andrea Pakula in France, using a dual console da Vinci 5 system to perform surgery on an advanced tissue model [2][3]. - The surgeons were able to exchange control of surgical instruments remotely, utilizing Force Feedback technology to simulate the sensation of operating on live tissue despite being over 4,000 miles apart [3]. Future of Telesurgery - Intuitive's CEO emphasized the potential of telesurgery to enhance patient access to care, while also noting the importance of careful development in infrastructure and technology to ensure safety and reliability [4][6]. - The company is focused on building a robust network infrastructure to support telesurgery, rather than being the first to market [7]. Technology Development - The telesurgery software demonstrated is still in development and not yet cleared for sale or use in the U.S. or EU, indicating ongoing efforts to ensure safety and effectiveness [9]. - Intuitive's telecollaboration suite includes telementoring and teleproctoring, aimed at improving clinical outcomes and reducing care costs [6].

Core Insights - Intuitive has received FDA clearance for its latest advanced energy instrument, the Vessel Sealer Curved, designed for use with its multiport da Vinci systems [1][2] - The Vessel Sealer Curved is the first of Intuitive's advanced energy instruments cleared for the transection of lymphatic vessels, enhancing its multifunctionality and precision [2][4] Product Features - The Vessel Sealer Curved features a slim, curved jaw that follows anatomical contours, improving visibility and control in tight spaces [3] - It is designed for grasping, blunt dissection of tissue, bipolar coagulation, and mechanical transection of blood vessels up to 7mm in diameter, as well as lymphatic vessels [4] Company Background - 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Intuitive in developing robotic-assisted technology, with nearly 17 million da Vinci procedures performed and around 90,000 surgeons trained [5] - Intuitive aims to improve patient outcomes, enhance care team experiences, increase access to minimally invasive care, and reduce treatment costs [5][6] Technology Overview - The da Vinci surgical systems provide high-definition 3D vision and robotic assistance, enabling precise dissection and reconstruction during minimally invasive surgeries [7]

Group 1: Microsoft - Microsoft is a leader in operating software for personal and business computing, with significant contributions to total revenue and earnings [2] - The company's primary growth driver is its cloud computing business, Microsoft Azure, where it ranks second only to Amazon [3][5] - Microsoft generated $69.4 billion in free cash flow over the trailing-12-month period, and its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to enhance earnings and stock performance [6] - The company has increased its dividend payouts by almost 168% in the past decade, although its forward yield is 0.7%, lower than the S&P 500 average of 1.3% [7] Group 2: Intuitive Surgical - Intuitive Surgical has dominated the robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) market for the past two decades with minimal competition, leading to strong financial results [8] - The company benefits from switching costs, as healthcare facilities invest significant resources in training and equipment, making them reluctant to switch to competitors [9][10] - The RAS market has substantial growth potential, with less than 5% of eligible surgeries performed robotically, and demand is expected to rise as the population ages [10][11] - Intuitive Surgical continues to innovate, having launched the fifth generation of its da Vinci system and integrated AI into its features, positioning it well for future growth [11][12]