IT'S long been the dream to put your feet up and let a robot do your housework for you.

But the 'Tomorrow's World' scenario has come true for NHS Fife with 'Zig' now helping to clean up their premises.

It's a robotic scrubber dryer floor machine that works without staff supervision and is the first of its kind in a Scottish hospital.

NHS Fife support services manager, Midge Rotheram, said Zig is already making a big difference.

She said: “It is really exciting for NHS Fife to be at the forefront of this new technology and be a Scottish first.

"We have been using Zig since February and it has already helped to make our cleaning process more efficient and established itself as a key member of the nightshift team – results so far have been very positive."

To herald the arrival of the robot in Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, youngsters in the children’s ward were given the chance to give it a name.

Suggestions were entered into a draw before the winning name was randomly selected by retiring ward clerk, Jennifer Kane, on her final shift following 43 years service.

Zig works without the need for staff to manually ride on and steer, as with conventional scrubber dryers, which frees them up to perform other duties across the hospital.

The reliable robot, the model is a Taski Intellibot, is deployed overnight in corridors and can sense obstructions, allowing it to change direction and continue cleaning.