A compact, portable robot called CoBRASurge (Compact Bevel-geared Robot for Advanced Surgery) has been developed for tool guidance in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). It uses a spherical mechanism composed of bevel gears to achieve the necessary workspace in four degrees of freedom (DOF). Four DC motors drive the robot, with surgeon-in-the-loop control guided by an ergonomic joystick. The robot workspace has been validated experimentally, and motion trajectory experiments have shown robust and stable control. Use of the robot for camera guidance in porcine models is described. These experiments indicate superior functionality of the robot. Future work will involve integration of higher-function surgical tools with multiple CoBRASurge modules to create a complete, highly autonomous and portable MIS robot system for telesurgery.