For those of us growing up watching Tomorrow’s World, we thought by 2010 we’d have robot butlers and other such gadgets catering to our every whim. Unfortunately, technology hasn’t progressed quite as quickly as predicted and these days we’re impressed if we see a robot that can walk on its’ own without falling over.

So imagine being able to control a robots movements to such a degree that you could make it dance or fight whenever you like, imagine how impressed we’d be. Well not only is that possible, but it’s possible in your very own living room. Although you’ll have to pay the £450 for it, but hey, there’s always the birthday presents list!

The MechRC Robot is the most programmable, user-friendly robot you’re likely to come across. With over one hundred already installed sounds and motions you can take the robot out of the box and have him strutting his stuff across the carpet in less than an hour.

Programming the robot is extremely easy too. The bot comes with software that allows you to program its movements via a filmstrip; dragging the robot into the desired stance in each frame, creating any kind of movement you can think of. It’s extremely easy to then add sound effects and music to accompany the robots’ movements, which will be played through the speaker in the middle of the MechRC’s chest.

The robot comes already made, meaning you won’t have to fiddle around building your robotic companion. It also comes with an IR remote control should you want him to break into a spontaneous dance or fight routine.

For what are basically toys, these robots are quite pricey, but they’re great fun and will no doubt keep you engaged for hours on end! The movement of the robot is extremely natural and it’s capable of completing some impressive physical manouvers. You never know, if technology carries on in this direction, we might end up with those robot butlers after all.