Patent ID: 7862580

Claim:
A medical instrument comprising: a shaft having a distal portion and a proximal portion; a wrist having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion of said wrist coupled to the distal portion of said shaft, said wrist comprising: a flexible tubular support member extending from said the proximal portion of said wrist to the distal portion of said wrist; and an outer layer wrapped around said support member, said outer layer having a stiffness lower than a stiffness of said support member, said outer layer comprising at least three lumens extending from the proximal portion of said wrist to the distal portion of said wrist; said instrument further comprising: at least three actuation cables, each of said cables passing from the distal portion of said wrist through a corresponding one of said at least three lumens to the proximal portion of said wrist; an end effector coupled to the distal portion of said wrist; and at least one end effector control element coupled to said end effector, said end effector control element extending from said end effector through an end effector lumen through said shaft to the proximal portion of said shaft.