Scientists in China are working to develop the world’s first humanoid robot surrogate designed to give birth to a live baby.
According to a report by The Telegraph, researchers at Kaiwa Technology in Guangzhou are creating an artificial womb system that would mimic all stages of pregnancy. The developing fetus would grow inside the robotic body and receive nutrients through a tube until birth nine months later.
Dr. Zhang Qifeng, founder of Kaiwa Technology, said the project is already in a “mature stage.”
“Now it needs to be implanted in the robot’s abdomen so that a real person and the robot can interact to achieve pregnancy, allowing the fetus to grow inside,” Zhang explained.
The company expects to begin selling a prototype as early as next year at a price of around $14,000. The cost is significantly lower than surrogacy, which in the US can cost between $100,000 to $200,000.
While the humanoid is intended to replicate the entire process from conception to delivery, details remain unclear about how fertilization would take place or how a fetus would be implanted into the artificial womb.
Zhang noted that the technological concept is not new. Earlier experiments in which scientists sustained premature lambs for weeks inside a “biobag” have been successful. He also said talks are underway with Guangdong Province authorities to draft potential regulations addressing legal and ethical issues raised by the technology.
Supporters of the project see the humanoid as a possible tool to address China’s rising infertility rate, which increased from 11.9 percent in 2007 to 18 percent in 2020.
