A robotic system comprises a robotic arm and a medical instrument. The robotic arm comprises a series of linkages connected by a series of joints and one or more instrument drivers coupled to a distal end of the series of linkages. The medical instrument comprises an elongated shaft extending between a distal portion and a proximal portion, an instrument base connected to the proximal portion of the elongated shaft, the instrument base including an attachment interface configured to facilitate attachment to the robotic arm, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a compression compensation parameter, and a pull wire connected to the distal portion of the elongated shaft, the pull wire extending along the elongated shaft between the distal portion and a drive input positioned at the instrument base, the drive input configured to actuate the pull wire to cause movement of the elongated shaft.