The multi-limbed da Vinci can be utilized in a variety of procedures, including cardiovascular, colorectal, gynaecological, head and neck, thoracic and urologic medical procedures, however, only if they're minimally invasive. How large the market could be is as yet hazy, yet experts concur the potential still can't seem to be tapped. So more players are moving in, and rapidly. As the beginning of robotic surgery offers an approach to increasingly precise control and better patient results, early pioneers like Intuitive Surgical Inc. are seeing increased pressure from large organizations like Johnson and Johnson and Medtronic PLC, which have made major M&A investments to break into the market as of late. Intuitive's da Vinci system was first affirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000 for urology.