Patent ID: 8740885

Claim:
A surgical apparatus comprising: a guide tube comprising an actively flexible distal portion, a distal end, and a channel; a first transmission mechanism coupled to the actively flexible distal portion; a first actuator mechanism coupled to the first transmission mechanism; a surgical instrument comprising an end effector at a distal end of the surgical instrument and a body portion coupled to the end effector, wherein a longitudinal axis is defined lengthwise along the body portion, wherein the surgical instrument extends through the channel in the guide tube, and wherein the end effector extends beyond the distal end of the guide tube to an insertion depth; a second transmission mechanism coupled to body portion and to the end effector; a second actuator mechanism coupled to the second transmission mechanism; and a telemanipulative control system coupled to the first and second actuator mechanisms, the telemanipulative control system being configured to send first signals to the first actuator mechanism and to send second signals to the second actuator mechanism; wherein, in response to the first signals, the first actuator mechanism causes the actively flexible distal portion of the guide tube to move the end effector in at least two orientation degrees of freedom; and wherein, in response to the second signals, the second actuator mechanism causes the end effector to be laterally displaced from the longitudinal axis of the body portion without a change in orientation of the end effector and causes the body portion to be moved to maintain the end effector at the insertion depth with the end effector laterally displaced from the longitudinal axis of the body portion.