AS a child of the Seventies, my vision of life in 2022 would have been a meal-in-a-pill, hover cars and robots that did the housework.

Flying cars never really made it beyond Tomorrow’s World, and even in the futuristic 21st century we’d rather have an actual Sunday dinner than a little white capsule that tastes of one.

But the robots are here, in all kinds of guises. And if Elon Musk has his way, they could soon be carrying out household chores in millions of homes.

The Tesla founder has been showcasing a prototype of ‘Optimus’, a robot he aims to mass produce within five years. Walking on stage and waving to the audience, the humanoid robot joined the tech billionaire at a Tesla presentation in California. A video showed Optimus doing simple tasks such as carrying boxes, lifting metal parts and watering plants.

The robot technology, being developed by Tesla with the same artificial intelligence system as the electric car company’s self-driving vehicles, could lead to the production of millions of androids with the ability to perform industrial as well as domestic tasks. They could even, suggests Musk, be fun to hang out with.

All quite exciting, if you like that sort of thing, but is it really so mind-blowing? I’m not particularly bowled over by a shaky 5ft 8in contraption that kind of looks like every other robot I’ve seen in films, cartoons...or Tomorrow’s World.

Robots give me the shivers anyway, and I’m not sold on the idea of them making life easier for humans, when they have the potential to do the opposite. So even if I have a spare twenty grand or so, I won’t be putting in an order for a Tesla android. I could buy a new vacuum cleaner for a fraction of the price.

I think I’d soon tire of having a robot round the house. I’d find it annoying. I have my own system for washing up, and cleaning the bathroom, and I don’t need some Smart Alec tin man mucking it all up. Is a robot really going to rinse the plates before it stacks the dishwasher? Will it remember when it’s recycling bin day? Bring the washing in if it’s raining? Replenish the toilet roll the right way round? Hoover right under the sofa? Rummage under the sink for something to wipe the carpet with when the cat’s been sick?

And what do you do with your robot when it’s not doing the housework? I live in a small house and the cupboard under the stairs is full of stuff. The robot would have to sit on the sofa with me in the evenings, which, to be honest, would get on my nerves. I’d feel judged for watching Married At First Sight UK. It might raise its robot eyebrows if I re-fill my wine glass or crack open the crisps. Or shoot me a withering look if I give up on Newsnight and watch an old Sex and the City repeat instead. I can’t imagine it would be much fun to hang out with.

Once the novelty wears off, having a robot round the house would be like having a creepy lodger or a house guest who has outstayed their welcome. It would just get in the way. I can do my own cleaning, thanks. “For heaven’s sake give it here, I’ll do it myself!” I’d snap, wrestling the mop from its robotic grip.

A robot in my house would probably end up the same way as my old exercise bike - shoved in the corner, with coats hanging on it. At least the flipping thing would finally have a use, until the time came to pack it off to the charity shop.