US Patent 8945095 Force and torque sensing for surgical instruments

An apparatus, system, and method for improving force and torque sensing and feedback to the surgeon performing a telerobotic surgery are provided. Groups of axially oriented strain gauges are positioned on a distal end of an instrument shaft proximate a moveable wrist of a robotic surgical instrument to sense forces and torques at the distal tip of the instrument. Advantageously, errors due to changes in the configuration of the tip or steady state temperature variations are eliminated. Other advantageous configurations and methods are disclosed.