Robots doing household chores, cooking our dinner and even taking the dog for a walk. It may seem a little far fetched but some scientists at UMass Amherst say that kind of technology is something many of us will see in our lifetime.

UMass Amherst Professor Rod Grupen says, "He started maybe 6 or 7 years ago as a very modest little robot that ran around and cooperated with other robots."

Meet U-BOT-5, a robot toddler whose just trying to master the skills he'll need to make humans lives easier.

Grupen says, "The robot right now is just dealing with the issues that a toddler deals with when trying to figure out how to balance on their feet."

While he's not yet as good as WALL-E from the new Disney Movie, one day, U-BOT-5 might be.

Grupen says, "It is structured to explore by trying things in the world and then it watches to see what things are rewarding and what things are not."

His creators, Rod Grupen and his team at the University of Massachusetts designed U-BOT-5 to be a round the clock in home assistant for the elderly.

And even though visually he's a bunch of exposed metal and wiring on wheels he's actually great company.

Scientists say the U-BOT-5 is an important took in seeing how the human brain works and don't be surprised if someday you see them in peoples homes either helping out with chores or handing them a glass of water.

Grupen says as the robot learns and masters certain functions it will also grow in height, much like a human.

Right now the robot still needs an operator but the researches plan to give it capabilities so that it can make it's own decisions.

Grupen says, "It's possible that in 30 years it will be as commonplace as laptops and internet connection."