The invention is a novel compact robotic manipulator with a special configuration that supports a remote center-of-motion attribute, so it has the ability to accurately and conveniently manipulate and re-orient in 2 degrees of freedom, and to firmly “lock” in place, special purpose surgical tools necessary for minimally invasive therapy. The new features include a sophisticated joint-link structure and configuration that comprises two arcuate links that enable comfortable maneuverability of the end effector or the tool about a pivot point, typically the port of entry of the tool to the patients body, while preventing the enlargement of the key hole, in the constrained and limited workspace of surgical environments. Also the configuration of the joints provides an open structure that keeps the robots main parts out of the surgeons field of view and out of the work area, providing sufficient space in the vicinity of the operative field, or the entry port of the tool to the patients internal organs. The manipulator can be used in manual, autonomous or remote-control modes.
