China is about to launch the world's first 'surrogate robot'

Chosun Biz reported on August 11 that the research team of Caiwa Robot Company is in the process of developing the world's first surrogate pregnancy robot.

This robot has a humanoid shape, is integrated with an artificial uterus, is capable of carrying a 10-month pregnancy and giving birth like a real person.

The first prototype is expected to launch in 2026, with a price tag of around 100,000 yuan (equivalent to 360 million VND).

Artificial womb - core technology

According to Chinese science and technology news agency Kuai Ke Zhi, Dr. Zhang Qifeng - currently working at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) - is the main person in charge of this project.

In an interview on August 8, Mr. Zhang said the new robot is not simply an embryo incubator, but a humanoid biological system that can fully simulate the process from fertilization to labor and birth.

At the heart of the technology lies an artificial womb, where the embryo is nurtured in amniotic fluid and supplied with nutrients through a system of tubes.

Mr. Zhang shared that this technology has entered the final stage and now only needs to be integrated into the robot's abdominal cavity to begin testing for pregnancy.

In addition, Mr. Zhang also said that the artificial uterus model had achieved positive results in animal tests.

According to Nature Communications magazine, in 2017, scientists at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (USA) successfully raised a premature lamb (equivalent to a 23-week human fetus) in a device called a "biobag" - a plastic bag containing artificial amniotic fluid.

After four weeks, the lambs developed normally and grew wool.

However, according to Mr. Zhang, that device still only serves as an incubator for premature fetuses, while the robot he is researching aims to recreate the entire pregnancy process from the beginning.

However, he has not yet revealed specifics about how fertilization and embryo implantation into the artificial uterus will be performed.

Chinese social networks "storm"

As soon as the information was announced, the keyword "The world's first pregnant robot will be launched within the next year" quickly entered the top search on the social networking platform Weibo.

In addition, the video interview with the research team posted on the Douyin platform also attracted nearly 4,000 comments, reflecting strong public interest.

Many people have expressed deep concern about this research, saying that it is inhumane to let a child be born without any connection to the mother, and questioning the origin of the egg and sperm in this process.

However, many opinions are supportive. Many people believe that if the price of a robot is only equivalent to half of a year's income, then owning this device is completely reasonable. Some people also believe that this is a step to free women from the burden of pregnancy and childbirth.

In particular, many social media users believe that this is a new ray of hope for infertile couples. Some comments shared that they had failed after many attempts of artificial insemination and hoped that this technology would bring the opportunity to become parents.