Intuitive Surgical: When AI Guides the Surgeon's Scalpel

While Tesla is still talking about robotics, Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) has been operating it for over two decades. Its da Vinci robotic system helps surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures with precision that the human hand alone could never achieve. It is not an autonomous robot — da Vinci is a telemanipulation system where the surgeon controls robotic arms from a console, while software filters hand tremors and scales movements in real time.

What makes Intuitive Surgical interesting from an AI perspective is the growing integration of machine learning into their platforms. The company is investing in surgical data analytics — the system records every movement during a procedure and, based on thousands of previous surgeries, can recommend the optimal approach to the surgeon. Combined with the Ion robot, which specializes in early detection and biopsy of lung cancer, this is one of the most practical examples of AI use in medicine.

Numbers That Speak for Themselves

In the first quarter of 2026, the number of worldwide procedures performed using da Vinci and Ion systems grew by 17%. Revenue jumped 23% to $2.77 billion. The installed base includes 11,395 da Vinci systems and 1,041 Ion systems. And crucially: 86% of revenue comes from recurring income — hospitals must continually purchase disposable instruments and accessories. This creates an exceptionally predictable business model.

The company's stock has fallen 25% this year, primarily due to tariff concerns, rising competition, and a tragic patient death during surgery linked to faulty clamps. The company is addressing the situation with a recall. From a historical perspective, however, the stock trades at 40 times expected earnings compared to a long-term average of 57, which may represent a more attractive entry point for those who believe in robotic surgery as a long-term trend.

XPeng: From Chinese EV Maker to Robotics Powerhouse

XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) is known to most Europeans as a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer. Their G6 and G9 models are sold in Europe, including Germany, Italy, and Norway — and the company is also expanding into the Czech Republic and Slovakia through its European distribution network. But XPeng has long been more than just a carmaker.

In November 2024, the company unveiled its first humanoid robot called IRON. The machine stands 173 cm tall, weighs 70 kg, features over 60 joints with 200 degrees of freedom, and currently assists on XPeng's production lines during the assembly of the P7+ vehicle. The company has also deployed the robots in internal operations and warehouses.

From the Factory Floor to the Showroom

But the most interesting part is the plan for 2026 and beyond: XPeng has confirmed that it will launch mass production of the IRON robot by the end of the year. In 2027, these humanoids will appear as "salespeople" in XPeng car showrooms — greeting customers and presenting vehicles. The company then plans a global export of the robots. This is one of the most concrete roadmaps in humanoid robotics outside of China's AgiBot.

Technologically, XPeng relies on its own Turing AI chip, which successfully completed tape-out in August 2024 and has been powering autonomous driving in the G7 model since June 2025. Each chip contains a 40-core processor, two NPU units, and 64 GB of fast memory, giving it a performance of 750 TOPS for running AI models with up to 30 billion parameters. XPeng will also supply this chip to Volkswagen for the Chinese market.

Financial Reality

Q1 2026 was not rosy for XPeng: revenue fell 17.6% to 13 billion RMB ($1.89 billion), vehicle deliveries dropped by a third to 62,682 units. On the positive side, however, gross margin jumped from 15.6% to 20.6%, indicating successful reduction of manufacturing costs. The new XPeng GX, a tech-packed SUV, is reportedly selling very well according to early feedback. The company holds $6.1 billion in cash and trades at just 1.4 times revenue — significantly cheaper than Tesla.

Why Forget Tesla (At Least for a While)

Tesla may have massive capitalization and a charismatic leader, but in the field of physical AI, it has yet to deliver a tangible product. Optimus remains in the prototype phase, and robotaxis are still in testing. In contrast, Intuitive Surgical performs millions of surgeries annually, and XPeng has a concrete timeline for mass production of humanoids within months.

For European, and therefore Czech readers, the geopolitical dimension is also crucial: XPeng is expanding into Europe not only with cars but with an entire technology ecosystem. The partnership with Volkswagen (which owns 4.95% of XPeng) means that the Turing AI chip and autonomous driving technology will sooner or later make their way into European vehicles from the VW Group. Intuitive Surgical, meanwhile, is present in dozens of European hospitals and its technology helps Czech patients as well.