Patent ID: 7316681

Claim:
An articulated surgical instrument for minimally invasive surgery comprising: an elongate support member having a proximal end and a distal end; a wrist member having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the wrist member coupled to the distal end of the support member by a wrist joint defining a joint axis; first and second capstans rotatably coupled to the distal portion of the wrist member by respective first and second capstan joints; first, second, third, and fourth intermediate idler pulleys mounted on the wrist joint to independently rotate about the joint axis; first and second cables engaging, in a first circumferential orientation, the first and second intermediate idler pulleys respectively, the first and second cables further engaging the first capstan; third and fourth cables engaging, in a second circumferential orientation opposite the first circumferential orientation, the third and fourth intermediate idler pulleys respectively, the third and fourth cables further engaging the second capstan.