A computer-assisted medical device comprising: one or more articulated arms for providing support for one or more instruments for a medical procedure; a control unit configured to control motion of the one or more articulated arms and/or the one or more instruments to perform the medical procedure on a patient located on a separate surgical table ; and a display unit coupled to the control unit , the display unit having at least a surgical table status region ; wherein the control unit is configured to: receive, from a surgical command unit of the surgical table , a surgical table movement request via a communications connection with the surgical command unit; determine whether to allow the surgical table movement request; allow the surgical table to move in response to determining that the surgical table movement request should be allowed; receive information from the surgical table describing an orientation of a top of the surgical table relative to a base of the surgical table , the surgical table being coupled to the control unit via the communications connection; generate one or more icons graphically depicting the surgical table and the orientation; and send the one or more icons to the display unit for display within the surgical table status region . one or more articulated arms for providing support for one or more instruments for a medical procedure; a control unit configured to control motion of the one or more articulated arms and/or the one or more instruments to perform the medical procedure on a patient located on a separate surgical table ; and a display unit coupled to the control unit , the display unit having at least a surgical table status region ; wherein the control unit is configured to: receive, from a surgical command unit of the surgical table , a surgical table movement request via a communications connection with the surgical command unit; determine whether to allow the surgical table movement request; allow the surgical table to move in response to determining that the surgical table movement request should be allowed; receive information from the surgical table describing an orientation of a top of the surgical table relative to a base of the surgical table , the surgical table being coupled to the control unit via the communications connection; generate one or more icons graphically depicting the surgical table and the orientation; and send the one or more icons to the display unit for display within the surgical table status region . receive, from a surgical command unit of the surgical table , a surgical table movement request via a communications connection with the surgical command unit; determine whether to allow the surgical table movement request; allow the surgical table to move in response to determining that the surgical table movement request should be allowed; receive information from the surgical table describing an orientation of a top of the surgical table relative to a base of the surgical table , the surgical table being coupled to the control unit via the communications connection; generate one or more icons graphically depicting the surgical table and the orientation; and send the one or more icons to the display unit for display within the surgical table status region . <EOS>