Medical
Intuitive said it would roll Ion out slowly in the US, with the first shipments to customers in the second quarter of 2019.
A dated step forward on the record · Company-reported
What the source says
“The robotic surgery pioneer said it plans a measured U.S. rollout of the system with customer shipments beginning in the”
What it means
Ion, from Intuitive, is at stage 5 of 5 on our ladder: regulator-cleared or mass market. Its stage is set by other milestones on its record; this one adds to the history. This line rests on the company's own announcement; no regulator, customer or independent report confirms it in our sources yet.
Human help: The maker hasn't said whether people help it remotely.
More on Ion
- Intuitive placed 55 Ion systems in the second quarter of 2026, up from 54 a year earlier.
- The FDA cleared new Ion software, including AI and imaging features, which Intuitive planned to release through a limited launch.
- Intuitive said more than 900 Ion systems were in hospitals across 10 countries.
- China's medical device regulator approved Ion for sale in China.
- Intuitive started a Class 2 recall of an Ion catheter because a ring at its tip could come off during a procedure.
- The FDA cleared Ion for taking biopsies from the outer parts of the lung.