Surgical patient side cart with drive system and method of moving a patient side cart

摘要

A cart for supporting one or more instruments for a computer-assisted, remote procedure can include a base and a support structure extending from the base and adjustable to different configurations, the support structure being configured to support one or more instruments to perform a remote procedure. The cart can further include a steering interface configured to be grasped by a user and a sensor mechanism configured to detect a force applied to the steering interface. The cart also can include a drive system comprising a control module operably coupled to receive an input from the sensor mechanism in response to the force applied to the steering interface and information about a configuration of the support structure, the control module operably coupled to output a movement command based on the received input from the sensor mechanism and the information about the configuration of the support structure. A driven wheel may be mounted to the base and configured to impart wheeled motion to the cart in response to the movement command.