This paper describes the evolving role of robotics in healthcare and allied areas with special concerns relating to the management and control of the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The prime utilization of such robots is to minimize person-to-person contact and to ensure cleaning, sterilization and support in hospitals and similar facilities such as quarantine. This will result in minimizing the life threat to medical staff and doctors taking an active role in the management of theCOVID-19 pandemic. The intention of the present research is to highlight the importance of medical robotics in general and then to connect its utilization with the perspective of COVID-19 management so that the hospital management can direct themselves to maximize the use of medical robots for various medical procedures. This is despite the popularity of telemedicine, which is also effective in similar situations. In essence, the recent achievement of the Korean and Chinese health sectors in obtaining active control of the COVID-19 pandemic was not possible without the use of state of the art medical technology.

Technological advancements in various domains have broadened the application horizon of robotics to an incredible extent. Highlighting a very recent application area, this paper presents a comprehensive review of robotics application in food industry. Robots essentially have the potential to transform the processes in food processing and handling, palletizing and packing and food serving. Therefore, recent years witnessed tremendously increased trend of robots deployment in food sector. Consequently, the aspects related with robot kinematics, dynamics, hygiene, economic efficiency, human-robot interaction, safety and protection and operation and maintenance are of critical importance and are discussed in the present review. A comparison of actual robots being used in the industry is also presented. The review reveals that the food serving sector is the new potential area in which ample research opportunities exist by integrating advancements from various technology domains. It is anticipated that wider dissemination of research developments in ‘robo-food’ will stimulate more collaborations among the research community and contribute to further developments.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a fundamental framework for interconnected device communication, representing a relatively new paradigm and the evolution of the Internet into its next phase. Its significance is pronounced in diverse fields, especially healthcare, where it finds applications in scenarios such as medical service tracking. By analyzing patterns in observed parameters, the anticipation of disease types becomes feasible. Stress monitoring with wearable sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) is a potential application that can enhance wellness and preventative health management. Healthcare professionals have harnessed robust systems incorporating battery-based wearable technology and wireless communication channels to enable cost-effective healthcare monitoring for various medical conditions. Network-connected sensors, whether within living spaces or worn on the body, accumulate data crucial for evaluating patients’ health. The integration of machine learning and cutting-edge technology has sparked research interest in addressing stress levels. Psychological stress significantly impacts a person’s physiological parameters. Stress can have negative impacts over time, prompting sometimes costly therapies. Acute stress levels can even constitute a life-threatening risk, especially in people who have previously been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia. To offer a proactive solution within the realm of smart healthcare, this article introduces a novel machine learning-based system termed “Stress-Track”. The device is intended to track a person’s stress levels by examining their body temperature, sweat, and motion rate during physical activity. The proposed model achieves an impressive accuracy rate of 99.5%, showcasing its potential impact on stress management and healthcare enhancement.