An articulated hand-held medical instrument is provided. The instrument is primarily intended to be used in minimally invasive surgical procedures. The articulated instrument comprises a master-slave architecture whereby user hand movements on a proximal handle element are replicated on a distal end-effector. The proximal handle comprises a number of handle links joined by handle joints that correspond to a number of end-effector links joined by end-effector joints. The articulated hand-held medical instrument can be used in standard laparoscopic procedures in various port arrangements and through the use of standard equipment such as trocars, and movements inside the patient's body may be tracked using available endoscopic cameras.
