A surgical instrument couplable to an end effector, comprising: at least one drive mechanism operable to effect at least one motion in the end effector; wherein the surgical instrument comprises one or more vibration sensors configured to record vibrations generated by the at least one drive mechanism, wherein the one or more vibration sensors are configured to generate an output signal based on the sensed vibrations; said surgical instrument being characterized in that it further comprises a plurality of frequency filters each defining a center frequency and a frequency bandwidth, wherein the frequency filters are configured to generate a filtered signal based on the received output signal; and a controller, comprising: a memory storing at least one predetermined threshold value, wherein the at least one predetermined threshold value comprises a minimum value and a maximum value; and a processor , wherein the memory includes program instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: develop a processed signal based on the filtered signal, wherein the processed signal comprises a voltage amplitude at each of the center frequencies; calculate a total sum of the voltage amplitudes at the center frequencies; compare the calculated total sum to the at least one predetermined threshold value; and determine a health status of the surgical instrument based on the comparison. at least one drive mechanism operable to effect at least one motion in the end effector; wherein the surgical instrument comprises one or more vibration sensors configured to record vibrations generated by the at least one drive mechanism, wherein the one or more vibration sensors are configured to generate an output signal based on the sensed vibrations; said surgical instrument being characterized in that it further comprises a plurality of frequency filters each defining a center frequency and a frequency bandwidth, wherein the frequency filters are configured to generate a filtered signal based on the received output signal; and a controller, comprising: a memory storing at least one predetermined threshold value, wherein the at least one predetermined threshold value comprises a minimum value and a maximum value; and a processor , wherein the memory includes program instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: develop a processed signal based on the filtered signal, wherein the processed signal comprises a voltage amplitude at each of the center frequencies; calculate a total sum of the voltage amplitudes at the center frequencies; compare the calculated total sum to the at least one predetermined threshold value; and determine a health status of the surgical instrument based on the comparison. a memory storing at least one predetermined threshold value, wherein the at least one predetermined threshold value comprises a minimum value and a maximum value; and a processor , wherein the memory includes program instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: develop a processed signal based on the filtered signal, wherein the processed signal comprises a voltage amplitude at each of the center frequencies; calculate a total sum of the voltage amplitudes at the center frequencies; compare the calculated total sum to the at least one predetermined threshold value; and determine a health status of the surgical instrument based on the comparison. develop a processed signal based on the filtered signal, wherein the processed signal comprises a voltage amplitude at each of the center frequencies; calculate a total sum of the voltage amplitudes at the center frequencies; compare the calculated total sum to the at least one predetermined threshold value; and determine a health status of the surgical instrument based on the comparison. <EOS>