At the press of a button, the bed retracts out of sight, the unit slides to the wall and the bedroom is transformed into a living room.

It might sound like a glimpse into the technological future of another age but in fact, this is Ikea's latest offering: robotic furniture.

The Swedish retail giant has announced plans to pilot a series of robot-powered furniture, designed to save space in small homes, from 2020.

It predicts that major cities will become more crowded and that smaller living spaces will fuel the demand for compact furniture in homes.

Ikea has joined forces with Ori, a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, which has already developed a similar Lshaped wooden system that turns a flat from a bedroom to a living room, walkin wardrobe or study by smartphone app.