Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures with a robotic arm that has a passive joint and system which can decouple the robotic arm from the input device

Abstract

A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are coupled to pair of master handles by a controller. The handles can be moved by the surgeon to produce a corresponding movement of the end effectors. The controller controls and limits movement of robotic arms relative to the patient.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.