Note 3 - Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements
Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]	3. Acquisitions MST Medical Surgery Technologies Ltd. Acquisition On September 23, 2018, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “MST Purchase Agreement”) with MST Medical Surgery Technologies Ltd., an Israeli private company (the “Seller”), and two of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, as purchasers of the assets of the Seller, (collectively, the “Buyers”). The closing of the transactions occurred on October 31, 2018, pursuant to which the Company acquired the Seller’s assets consisting of intellectual property and tangible assets related to surgical analytics with its core image analytics technology designed to empower and automate the surgical environment, with a focus on medical robotics and computer-assisted surgery. The core technology acquired under the MST Purchase Agreement is a software-based image analytics information platform powered by advanced visualization, scene recognition, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics. Under the terms of the MST Purchase Agreement, at the closing the Buyers purchased substantially all of the assets of MST. The acquisition price consisted of two tranches. At or prior to the closing of the transaction the Buyers paid $5.8 million in cash and the Company issued approximately 242,310 shares of the Company’s common stock (the "Initial Shares"). A second tranche of $6.6 million in additional consideration was payable in cash, stock or cash and stock, at the discretion of the Company, within one year after the closing date. On August 7, 2019, the Company notified MST that the Company would satisfy the additional consideration payment of $6.6 million by issuing shares of the Company’s common stock. The number of shares issued to MST was 370,423 (the “Additional Consideration Shares” and, together with the Initial Shares, the “Securities Consideration”). The Additional Consideration Shares were released from the lock-up restrictions on February 7, 2020. On July 3, 2019, the Company entered into a System Sale Agreement with GBIL to sell certain assets related to the AutoLap technology. On October 15, 2019, the Company amended the prior AutoLap Sale Agreement with GBIL. Pursuant to the amended agreement the Company sold the AutoLap laparoscopic vision system, or AutoLap, and related assets to GBIL. The assets include inventory, spare parts, production equipment, testing equipment and certain intellectual property specifically related to the AutoLap. The purchase price was $17.0 million, all of which was received in 2019 in the form of $16 million in cash and a commitment by GBIL to pay $1.0 million to settle certain Company obligations in China. GBIL subsequently paid the obligation. Under the amended AutoLap Agreement, the Company entered into a cross‑license agreement with GBIL to retain rights to use any AutoLap-related intellectual property sold to GBIL, and to non-exclusively license additional intellectual property to GBIL. The Company recorded a $16.0 million gain on the sale of the AutoLap assets during the year ended December 31, 2019, which represented the proceeds received in excess of the carrying value of the assets, less contract costs. Senhance Surgical Robotic System On September 21, 2015, the Company completed the strategic acquisition, through its wholly owned subsidiary TransEnterix International, from Sofar, of all of the assets, employees and contracts related to the advanced robotic system for minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery now known as the Senhance System. Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the consideration consisted of the issuance of (i) 1,195,647 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Securities Consideration”) and (ii) approximately $25.0 million U.S. Dollars and €27.5 million Euro in cash consideration (the “Cash Consideration”). On February 25, 2021, TransEnterix International changed its name to Asensus International. On December 30, 2016, the Company and Sofar entered into an Amendment to the Purchase Agreement (the “Amendment”) to restructure the terms of the second tranche of the Cash Consideration (the “Second Tranche”). The initial Securities Consideration was issued in full at the closing of the Senhance Acquisition; under the Amendment, the Second Tranche of the Cash Consideration was restructured, and an additional issuance of 286,360 shares of the Company’s common stock with an aggregate fair market value of €5.0 million occurred in January 2017. Following the Amendment, the total Cash Consideration was $25.0 million U.S. Dollars and approximately €22.5 million Euro, of which all but €15.1 million Euro has been paid as of December 31, 2019. The remaining Cash Consideration to be paid is the third tranche of the Cash Consideration (the “Third Tranche”) of €15.0 million which shall be payable upon achievement of trailing revenues from sales or services contracts of the Senhance System of at least €25.0 million over a calendar quarter. The fourth tranche of the Cash Consideration of €2.5 million was payable in installments by December 31 of each year as reimbursement for certain debt payments made by Sofar under an existing Sofar loan agreement in such year, with payments beginning as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had paid all installments of the fourth tranche. The Third Tranche payments will be accelerated in the event that (i) the Company or Asensus International is acquired, (ii) the Company significantly reduces or suspends selling efforts of the Senhance System, or (iii) the Company acquires a business that offers alternative products that are directly competitive with the Senhance System. The remaining amounts due to Sofar are included in contingent consideration as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 at their estimated fair value.

Note 3 - Acquisitions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]

3. Acquisitions

MST Medical Surgery Technologies Ltd. Acquisition

On September 23, 2018, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “MST Purchase Agreement”) with MST Medical Surgery Technologies Ltd., an Israeli private company (the “Seller”), and two of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, as purchasers of the assets of the Seller, (collectively, the “Buyers”). The closing of the transactions occurred on October 31, 2018, pursuant to which the Company acquired the Seller’s assets consisting of intellectual property and tangible assets related to surgical analytics with its core image analytics technology designed to empower and automate the surgical environment, with a focus on medical robotics and computer-assisted surgery. The core technology acquired under the MST Purchase Agreement is a software-based image analytics information platform powered by advanced visualization, scene recognition, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics.

Under the terms of the MST Purchase Agreement, at the closing the Buyers purchased substantially all of the assets of MST. The acquisition price consisted of two tranches. At or prior to the closing of the transaction the Buyers paid $5.8 million in cash and the Company issued approximately 242,310 shares of the Company’s common stock (the "Initial Shares"). A second tranche of $6.6 million in additional consideration was payable in cash, stock or cash and stock, at the discretion of the Company, within one year after the closing date. On August 7, 2019, the Company notified MST that the Company would satisfy the additional consideration payment of $6.6 million by issuing shares of the Company’s common stock. The number of shares issued to MST was 370,423 (the “Additional Consideration Shares” and, together with the Initial Shares, the “Securities Consideration”). The Additional Consideration Shares were released from the lock-up restrictions on February 7, 2020.

On July 3, 2019, the Company entered into a System Sale Agreement with GBIL to sell certain assets related to the AutoLap technology. On October 15, 2019, the Company amended the prior AutoLap Sale Agreement with GBIL. Pursuant to the amended agreement the Company sold the AutoLap laparoscopic vision system, or AutoLap, and related assets to GBIL. The assets include inventory, spare parts, production equipment, testing equipment and certain intellectual property specifically related to the AutoLap. The purchase price was $17.0 million, all of which was received in 2019 in the form of $16 million in cash and a commitment by GBIL to pay $1.0 million to settle certain Company obligations in China. GBIL subsequently paid the obligation. Under the amended AutoLap Agreement, the Company entered into a cross‑license agreement with GBIL to retain rights to use any AutoLap-related intellectual property sold to GBIL, and to non-exclusively license additional intellectual property to GBIL. The Company recorded a $16.0 million gain on the sale of the AutoLap assets during the year ended December 31, 2019, which represented the proceeds received in excess of the carrying value of the assets, less contract costs.

Senhance Surgical Robotic System

On September 21, 2015, the Company completed the strategic acquisition, through its wholly owned subsidiary TransEnterix International, from Sofar, of all of the assets, employees and contracts related to the advanced robotic system for minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery now known as the Senhance System. Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the consideration consisted of the issuance of (i) 1,195,647 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Securities Consideration”) and (ii) approximately $25.0 million U.S. Dollars and €27.5 million Euro in cash consideration (the “Cash Consideration”). On February 25, 2021, TransEnterix International changed its name to Asensus International.

On December 30, 2016, the Company and Sofar entered into an Amendment to the Purchase Agreement (the “Amendment”) to restructure the terms of the second tranche of the Cash Consideration (the “Second Tranche”). The initial Securities Consideration was issued in full at the closing of the Senhance Acquisition; under the Amendment, the Second Tranche of the Cash Consideration was restructured, and an additional issuance of 286,360 shares of the Company’s common stock with an aggregate fair market value of €5.0 million occurred in January 2017. Following the Amendment, the total Cash Consideration was $25.0 million U.S. Dollars and approximately €22.5 million Euro, of which all but €15.1 million Euro has been paid as of December 31, 2019. The remaining Cash Consideration to be paid is the third tranche of the Cash Consideration (the “Third Tranche”) of €15.0 million which shall be payable upon achievement of trailing revenues from sales or services contracts of the Senhance System of at least €25.0 million over a calendar quarter.

The fourth tranche of the Cash Consideration of €2.5 million was payable in installments by December 31 of each year as reimbursement for certain debt payments made by Sofar under an existing Sofar loan agreement in such year, with payments beginning as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had paid all installments of the fourth tranche.

The Third Tranche payments will be accelerated in the event that (i) the Company or Asensus International is acquired, (ii) the Company significantly reduces or suspends selling efforts of the Senhance System, or (iii) the Company acquires a business that offers alternative products that are directly competitive with the Senhance System. The remaining amounts due to Sofar are included in contingent consideration as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 at their estimated fair value.