Robotic surgical instrument having fluidically sealed drive mechanism, and systems and methods thereof

An apparatus, comprising:

• a shaft including a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft defining a lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end;
• an end effector disposed at the distal end of the shaft;
• a proximal head disposed at the proximal end of the shaft, the proximal head including a plurality of engagement elements, each engagement element of the plurality of engagement elements extending from an interior of the apparatus through a passage to an exterior of the apparatus, each engagement element of the plurality of engagement elements having a first end disposed in the interior that is coupled to the end effector via a transmission member and a second end disposed on the exterior that is configured to be coupled to a drive unit of a surgical robotic system such that actuation of the engagement element by the drive unit is configured to drive movement of the end effector in at least one degree-of-freedom;
• and
• a plurality of seals, each seal of the plurality of seals includes an O-ring being disposed around a respective engagement element of the plurality of engagement elements at the passage.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a shaft including a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft defining a lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end;
• an end effector disposed at the distal end of the shaft;
• a proximal head disposed at the proximal end of the shaft, the proximal head including at least one housing defining a plurality of slots and a plurality of engagement elements, each engagement element of the plurality of engagement elements being disposed in a separate slot of the plurality of slots, each engagement element of the plurality of engagement elements having a first end that is coupled to the end effector via a transmission member and a second end that is configured to be coupled to a drive unit of a surgical robotic system such that actuation of the engagement element by the drive unit is configured to drive movement of the end effector in at least one degree-of-freedom;
• and
• a sealing unit including a plurality of seals, the sealing unit configured to seal a space between the at least one housing and the plurality of engagement elements, wherein each seal of the plurality of seals is disposed on the respective engagement element of the plurality of engagement elements between the first and second ends of the engagement element.