US Patent 7789875 Surgical instruments

A medical system comprises a rigid support configured for being affixed relative to a patient table, a carriage assembly configured for being removably mounted to the rigid support, a surgical instrument mounted to the carriage assembly, the surgical instrument carrying a distal tool configured for performing a medical procedure on a patient, and a drive unit configured for being coupled to the surgical instrument to control the movement of the surgical instrument within at least one degree-of-freedom.