I remember when I was a youth long long ago in the 1980s. We were assured that in the year 2000 we would drive flying cars to work, everything would be made of chrome and glass and robots would serve our every need.

Here we are in 2008 and no sign of flying cars on or above the roads (though, pleasingly, they do exist) and quite a bit of stuff is made of chrome and glass. As for robots….well… we’re not exactly at the household droid stage yet are we?

Although the human race still has to do its own hoovering for now, robots are advancing rather quickly. In Japan they already have developed house-sitting robots (handy), dancing robots (questionable) and now, acting robots (more convincing than Keanu Reeves).

Recently, a play named Hataraku Watashi (I, Worker) premiered at Osaka University. The play was one of Japan’s first robot-human theatre productions and it looks considerably more interesting than it sounds.

Written by Oriza Hirata, the production explores the relationship between humanity and technology. At the centre of the production are a young couple and a pair of housekeeping robots, one of whom loses its motivation to work. The play brings up all kinds of provocative issues such as the nature of sentience and slavery.

The robots used in the production were made by Mitsubushi and the software that allows them to perform was developed by Osaka University in just two months.

I must admit, I’m impressed. When I first read about this I was expecting a novelty, a quirky, musical robotic freakshow. Instead, it seems that Oriza Hirata and company have created an interesting, legitimate piece of theatre using the unlikeliest of casts.

At the moment the production is only 20 minutes long but it is hoped that it will develop into a full-length performance by 2010. No word on if or when the robotroupe will be coming to the UK, we can but hope.