Pregnancy Without Women? Chinese Scientists Say Humanoid Robot Could Give Birth To Baby
Chinese scientists, led by Dr. Zhang Qifeng, claim the world's first humanoid robot surrogate may soon give birth, aiming to replicate pregnancy within an artificial womb.
Chinese scientists have claimed that the world's first humanoid robot surrogate may soon be able to give birth to a live baby. The project, led by Dr Zhang Qifeng of Kaiwa Technology in Guangzhou, seeks to replicate pregnancy within an artificial womb.
The baby would grow inside the robot's body in a womb-like space filled with artificial amniotic fluid. Dr Zhang is already in talks with Guangdong authorities to draft laws and rules for this technology.
The baby would develop for nine months, receiving nutrients through a tube before delivery. Dr. Zhang, a PhD graduate from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, stated that the technology has now reached a 'mature stage."
'It now needs to be implanted in the robot's abdomen, enabling interaction between a real person and the robot to achieve pregnancy and allow the fetus to develop inside," The Telegraph quoted him as saying.
A prototype is expected to go on sale next year for around 100,000 yuan (more than Rs 12 lakh). Reports say the humanoid can replicate the entire pregnancy journey, from conception to delivery, Live Mint reported.
The innovation has raised major legal and ethical debates. But if proven successful, it could change medicine and family life forever.
It is being viewed as a potential solution to China's rising infertility rate, which increased from 11.9% in 2007 to 18% in 2020. While supporters hail it as a groundbreaking advancement, critics raise concerns over its ethical implications.
Supporters also believe artificial wombs could protect women from health risks linked to pregnancy and free them from the physical strain of carrying a child. As the debate unfolds, the central question persists: can such machines ever genuinely replicate human gestation?
However, critics further argue that the technology is 'problematic" and unethical because it removes the natural bond between mother and child. Medical experts remain sceptical about whether science can replicate complex processes such as maternal hormone regulation.
Radical feminist Andrea Dworkin once warned that artificial wombs could signal 'the end of women," The Telegraph reported. Researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia had earlier cautioned that this technology might make pregnancy appear as a medical condition.
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