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Description: This paper describes the design and testing of a novel hydraulic control valve for use in the minimally invasive surgical robotic manipulator. The use of hydraulics for surgical robotics opens new possibilities for miniaturization and robustness. However, to enable this, there exists a need for hydraulic components which bridge the size gap between traditional fluidics and microfluidics. This paper provides motivation for the development of a miniature hydraulic valve designed specifically to enable a serpentine style hydraulic surgical manipulator. Included are a description of the various considerations relevant to the valve and its specific application, such as the method of manipulation for the valve, as well as a theoretical valve design and a mathematical description of the operating principles. Two possible methods of valve activation, piezoelectric and electromagnetic, are discussed along with two physical realizations of the valve design are presented which demonstrate the theoretical design. Finally, the results of experimental testing performed on valve prototypes is described to evaluate the design options and help inform the selection of the final configuration. This is a preprint of an article submitted for consideration in ADVANCED ROBOTICS, copyright Taylor & Francis and Robotics Society of Japan; ADVANCED ROBOTICS is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/tadr.