Patent ID: 8758352

Claim:
A surgical instrument releasably coupleable to a drive assembly of a robotic system, the surgical instrument comprising: a shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal portion, and a distal portion, said distal portion including at least one end effector member, said proximal portion comprising a first plurality of rotatable bodies rotatable about first rotational axes perpendicular to said shaft longitudinal axis; a plurality of joints, at least one of said joints being coupled to said end effector member, said joints being coupled to said first plurality of rotatable bodies by a plurality of drive members such that rotation of each rotatable body about its rotational axis moves a corresponding drive member to actuate a corresponding joint, each of said plurality of joints actuated by rotation about a second rotational axis perpendicular to said first rotational axes and said shaft longitudinal axis; wherein each of said first plurality of rotatable bodies comprises at least one pin separated from and parallel to the body's first rotational axis; wherein the at least one end effector member is coupled with at least one of said plurality of drive members which is housed within said shaft.