Systems and methods for constrained motion control of medical instruments

A robotic system, comprising:

• an instrument having an end effector;
• a robotic arm configured to control movement of the end effector;
• an input device configured to receive an input for controlling movement of the end effector, the instrument being capable of moving in fewer number of degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) than the input device;
• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one computer-readable memory in communication with the at least one processor and having stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to:
• determine a robotic arm command for achieving the movement of the end effector indicated by the input;
• and
• cause force feedback to the input device that constrains movement of the input device to the fewer number of DOFs.

A method comprising:

• receiving, via an input device, an input for controlling movement of a medical instrument, the medical instrument having a fewer number of degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) than the input device;
• determining a robotic arm command for achieving the movement of the medical instrument indicated by the input;
• and
• providing force feedback to the input device that constrains motion of the input device to the fewer number of degrees of freedom.

A robotic system, comprising:

• a gimbal configured to receive an input for controlling movement of an end effector of an instrument via a robotic manipulator, the end effector having fewer degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) than the gimbal;
• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one computer-readable memory in communication with the at least one processor and having stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to:
• determine a robotic arm command for achieving the movement of the instrument indicated by the input;
• and
• cause force feedback to the gimbal that constrains motion of the gimbal to the fewer DOFs of the end effector.