Medical robotic system with dynamically adjustable slave manipulator characteristics

A medical system comprising:

• a medical device;
• a slave manipulator adapted to manipulate the medical device, the slave manipulator having a characteristic;
• an input device;
• a control system operatively coupling the input device to the slave manipulator;
• and
• a processor programmed to dynamically adjust the characteristic of the slave manipulator by:
• determining whether a change in a parameter of the control system that results in adjusting the characteristic would also result in an actuator command that exceeds a threshold value immediately following the change in the parameter, the actuator command generated within the control system to drive an actuator of the slave manipulator;
• and
• changing the parameter so as to adjust the characteristic if it is determined that the characteristic is to be adjusted and the change in the parameter would not result in the actuator command that exceeds the threshold value immediately following the change in the parameter;
• and
• not changing said parameter if it is determined that the characteristic is not to be adjusted but the change in the parameter would result in the actuator command that exceeds the threshold value immediately following the change in the parameter;
• the characteristic comprising a stiffness or strength of the slave manipulator, a Cartesian stiffness or strength of an instrument tip of the slave manipulator, or a maximum force applicable in an x, y, or z direction relative to said instrument tip.