Patent ID: 8002767

Claim:
A medical robotic system comprising: a medical instrument; a control input device constructed so as to be grippable by a hand of a user while being manipulated by the hand of the user to command corresponding movement of the medical instrument, the control input device having a switch mechanism positioned on the control input device so as to be switchable by a digit of the hand of the user without releasing a grip of the control input device when the hand of the user is gripping the control input device; a computer screen having a graphical user interface for user selection of a selected function for the switch mechanism from a plurality of user selectable functions including motion scaling; and a controller configured to control robotic movement of the medical instrument in response to user manipulation of the control input device and alter such controlled movement by applying a motion scale factor selected by the user from a set of at least three motion scale factors of different magnitudes, wherein an actuation of the switch mechanism by the user changes the applied motion scale factor to the next motion scale factor in the set, while controlling the robotic movement of the medical instrument in response to the user manipulation of the control input device and when the selected function is motion scaling to scale corresponding movement of the control input device and the medical instrument.