Chinese scientist develops robot with artificial womb for human pregnancy

The 'pregnancy robot', according to outlet Chosun Biz, 'is designed in a humanoid form and is equipped with an artificial womb in its abdomen, allowing it to carry a fetus for 10 months and give birth.' — Photo by Luma Pimentel on Unsplash

Robots can do a lot these days.

Cleaning houses, building machines, helping doctors in surgery, and now, a scientist based out of China is working on a robot that can carry a human fetus to term.

The “pregnancy robot,” according to outlet Chosun Biz, “is designed in a humanoid form and is equipped with an artificial womb in its abdomen, allowing it to carry a fetus for 10 months and give birth.”

The fetus will be supplied with nutrients via a hose connected to the “artificial womb filled with artificial amniotic fluid,” according to Dr Zhang Qifeng.

Zhang, according to the New York Post, is Kaiwa Technology’s founder.

Homed in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, Zhang said that “The artificial womb technology is already in a mature stage, and 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.”

The appeal surrounding a pregnancy robot is the price tag that goes along with it. Chosun Biz said that the prototype will fetch nearly 100,000 yuan (RM58,838), or about US$14,000 (RM59,170).

This is a steep reduction in price compared to a human surrogate, which can cost between US$100,000 (RM422,650) and US$200,000 (RM845,300) in the United States, according to Circle Surrogacy.

The robot has received both scrutiny and celebration by those in China, with some inquiring about the ethics of such a pregnancy. Others, however, wrote that “women have finally been liberated,” Chosun Biz wrote.

The prototype is expected to debut some time next year, though the fertilisation and implantation process was not discussed by Zhang, Chosun Biz said. – Staten Island Advance, N.Y./Tribune News Service