Socially Assistive Robot ”Sister Robot” as a Covid-19 response and its future plans in health care and clinical applications*

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems. In Nepal, the shortage of healthcare professionals and the limited capacity of hospitals amplified the need for innovative solutions to assist healthcare professionals and patients. This paper reviews the development of a service robot in Nepal and its usefulness during the Covid19 pandemic. It also describes the application of such simple service robots as socially assistive for assisting patients, and healthcare professionals and providing support to the overall hospital management system. This paper explores the potential of these robots in the context of Nepal, discussing additional features and integration that can upgrade their functionality for a social setting. Furthermore, it also aims to highlight the possibility of the production of Socially Assistive Robots in developing countries like Nepal and their applications in healthcare.