Abstract: A surgical computing system and/or a surgical instrument may determine situational awareness about a surgical procedure based on information provided by one or more sensors and dynamically adapt operation and/or control of surgical instruments and/or communication of information to healthcare professionals based on the determined situational awareness. Situational awareness may include, for example, an importance level (e.g., a stress level or attention) of a health care provider, possession of a controllable surgical instrument by a health care provider, and/or body positioning of a health care provider. Situational awareness may be determined based on in provided by one or more personnel (e.g., wearable) sensing systems, environmental sensing systems, and/or surgical instruments, such as one or more of healthcare provider data (e.g., position, posture, balance, motion, attention, physiologic states), environmental data (e.g.

Abstract: An end-effector and a surgical instrument including the end-effector are disclosed. The end-effector includes a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator. The clamp arm incudes a clamp jaw, a cantilever electrode, and a clamp arm. The cantilever electrode is biased in a direction toward the clamp jaw and the clamp arm includes a retainer to oppose a biasing force and maintain the cantilever electrode in a substantially flat configuration relative to the ultrasonic blade. A skirt may be disposed around the clamp jaw. The clamp arm pad may include multiple support elements arranged in multiple rows to support the cantilever electrode.

Abstract: A surgical instrument for use with a robotic system that has a control unit and a shaft portion that includes an electrically conductive elongated member that is attached to a portion of the robotic system. The elongated member is configured to transmit control motions from the robotic system to an end effector.

Abstract: An end effector for a surgical cutting and stapling instrument. In various embodiments, the end effector may include an elongate channel that is configured to support a staple cartridge therein and which is also operably coupled to a surgical cutting and stapling instrument. An anvil may be movably supported relative to the elongate channel for selective movement between an open position and a closed position wherein tissue is clamped between the anvil and a staple cartridge supported within the elongate channel in response to a closing motion applied thereto from the surgical cutting and stapling instrument. At least one light source may be provided on at least one of the staple cartridge and the elongate channel. The light sources may interface with the anvil to provide a visual indication viewable through a portion of the anvil to indicate a position of tissue clamped between the anvil and the staple cartridge.