System and method for reducing blade exposures

A cutting instrument for use with a computer-assisted device, the instrument comprising:

• an end effector located at a distal end of the instrument, the end effector comprising opposable gripping jaws and a cutting blade;
• one or more drive units;
• a shaft coupled to the one or more drive units;
• an articulated wrist coupling the end effector to the shaft;
• and
• one or more drive mechanisms in the shaft for coupling force or torque from the one or more drive units to the end effector and the articulated wrist;
• wherein to perform a cutting operation, the instrument is configured to:
• measure, by one or more processors and using one or more first sensors, a jaw angle between the gripping jaws of the end effector;
• measure, by the one or more processors and using one or more second sensors, articulation of the articulated wrist;
• correct, by the one or more processors, the jaw angle based on the articulation of the articulated wrist;
• determine, by the one or more processors, a restriction on the cutting operation based on the corrected jaw angle;
• and
• perform or prevent the cutting operation based on the restriction.