The world's first surrogate robot

China is developing a surrogate robot, equipped with an artificial womb, capable of carrying a baby for 10 months and giving birth. Photo: Created by AI .

According to ChosunBiz , a research team at Caiwa Robot is developing the world's first surrogate mother robot. This is a humanoid robot with an integrated artificial uterus that can carry a pregnancy for 10 months and give birth like a real person.

The first prototype is expected to be launched in 2026, with a price tag of around 100,000 yuan (about $13,900 ).

According to science and technology news agency Kuai Ke Zhi , Dr. Zhang Qifeng, who is 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 just a simple embryo incubator, but a humanoid biological system that can simulate the entire process from fertilization to labor and birth.

At the core of the technology is an artificial womb, where the embryo is nourished in amniotic fluid and fed nutrients through a system of tubes. Mr. Zhang shared that the technology has entered the final stage, only needs to be integrated into the robot's abdominal cavity to start pregnancy testing.

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

In 2017, scientists at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (USA) successfully raised a premature lamb (equivalent to a 23-week-old human fetus) in a device called a "biobag " . This is a plastic bag containing artificial amniotic fluid. After four weeks, the lambs developed normally and grew wool.

However, according to Mr. Zhang, that device 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 specifically how the embryo is fertilized and implanted into the artificial uterus.

Immediately after 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 China's social network Weibo.

The video interview with the research team posted on Douyin - China's Tiktok platform also attracted nearly 4,000 comments, showing strong public interest.

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

However, there are also many supportive opinions. Many believe that if the price of a robot is only equivalent to half of the annual income, owning this device is completely reasonable. Some also think that this is a step forward 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 artificial insemination attempts and hoped that this technology would bring the opportunity to become parents.

Source: https://znews.vn/robot-mang-thai-ho-dau-tien-tren-the-gioi-post1576118.html