**2.1 Loss of degrees of freedom**

In open operations, surgeons use short instruments which allow a wide range of movements by flexing the upper limbs, back, and hips. However, laparoscopic instruments are long and straight, and the degree of movement is limited within a cone created by the trocar, limiting the degrees of freedom of the instrument.

In complex laparoscopic digestive surgery, the laparoscopic instruments must traverse the length of the abdominal cavity, such as in colectomies. This places the instrument in non-advantageous angles of use. Tasks, such as suturing, which are straightforward for a surgeon in open operations may become cumbersome for a novice in laparoscopic surgery given the constraints of the instruments and their intra-abdominal angulation.
