A surgical manipulator is disclosed which includes a surgical instrument, an arm comprising a plurality of links and being configured to support and move the surgical instrument, and at least one controller. The at least one controller is configured to model the surgical instrument as a virtual rigid body. Forces and torques are applied externally to the surgical instrument. The at least one controller determines a commanded pose of the surgical instrument based on evaluation of the forces and torques and controls movement of the arm to place the surgical instrument according to the commanded pose.
