Da Vinci

The Da Vinci robotic surgical system used in an operating room, with its multiple robotic arms in position over a patient, while surgeons monitor the procedure using 3D visualization displays.
Da Vinci setup in an operating room. Photo: Intuitive Surgical

The da Vinci is a surgical robot designed for minimally invasive procedures. It has four arms equipped with surgical instruments and cameras that a physician controls remotely from a console.

Creator

Intuitive Surgical

Year
1999
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Categories
Features
A series of images show a rotating view of a robotic system including four arms ending in surgical tools.
Interactive
See a 360° view of da Vinci. Photos: John Greenleigh

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Did you know?

More than 1,840 da Vinci robots have been installed worldwide (as of July 2012).

Close-up view shows two grippers over a patient. One holds a needed, the other surgrical thread.
Close-up of da Vinci's grippers. Photo: Intuitive Surgical
A surgeon folds a paper airplane using the da Vinci. Video: Swedish Hospital

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History

Intuitive Surgical, headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., was founded in 1995 by Dr. Frederic Moll, John Gordon Freund, and Robert G. Younge. The first da Vinci system, a specialized surgical robot designed for conducting minimally invasive surgery, was brought to market in 1999. In 2003, a fourth instrument arm was added. In 2006, the da Vinci S version was released, offering the surgeon high-definition vision. The da Vinci Xi model, the latest iteration, was introduced in 2014. Intuitive says the Xi has more capabilities than previous models and is optimized for complex procedures. A da Vinci robot is not an automated surgical systems; rather, it's remote controlled by a human surgeon, who typically sits right next to it, in the operating room with the patient. One of the main advantages of the da Vinci system is that the surgeon can use tiny robotic tools that require a much smaller incision, along with visual enhancements like infrared imaging that offer valuable information that human eyes alone can't provide.

Hands in position on the control system.
The controls used by surgeons to move the grippers. Photo: Intuitive Surgical

Specs

Overview

Equipped with surgical tools with greater range of motion than the human hand. Surgeon console equipped with high-definition 3D vision system.

Status

Ongoing

Year

1999

Website
Width
91.5 cm
Height
175.3 cm
Length
127 cm
Weight
544.3 kg (patient-side cart only)
Sensors

Optical encoders, Hall sensors, magnetic encoders, infrared sensors.

Actuators

DC motors

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
7 (surgical robot)
Compute

Combination of various DSPs, microcontrollers, and FPGAs.

Software

Custom OS and control software.

Power

120-V AC with battery backup

Cost
$1.2 million (actual price depends on configuration)