Patent ID: 8052636

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a flexible sheath instrument comprising a sheath instrument base removably coupleable to an instrument driver, said sheath instrument defining a sheath instrument working lumen; a flexible guide instrument comprising a guide instrument base removably coupleable to the instrument driver, wherein said guide instrument is positionable in the sheath instrument working lumen and defines a guide instrument working lumen; a tool positionable in said guide instrument working lumen, wherein said tool may be actuated by an actuator operatively coupled to the guide instrument base; and an instrument driver having a sheath instrument interface configured for removably coupling to the sheath instrument base, wherein said sheath instrument may be robotically controlled by the instrument driver via said sheath instrument interface, wherein said instrument driver further comprises a guide instrument interface configured for removably coupling to the guide instrument base, such that movement of the guide instrument may be robotically controlled by the instrument driver via said guide instrument interface, and wherein the guide instrument interface is translatable relative to the sheath instrument interface, such that the guide instrument is axially translatable relative to the sheath instrument.