Medtronic has a product in the pipeline that will directly compete with Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci system, Seeking Alpha reports.
Three insights:
1. The company will present details about the soft tissue surgical robot on Sept. 24. It's expected to be launched outside the U.S. sometime in 2020.
2. The device could have "some impact" on Intuitive Surgical's business, analyst Lee Hambright told Seeking Alpha.
3. Intuitive Surgical is a pioneer in robotic surgery. In 2000, its da Vinci system became the first robotic surgery system that was FDA-approved for general laparoscopic surgery and commercially available in the U.S.