China develops pregnancy robot to support families facing infertilityMon, August 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM EDT
China is taking a bold step in reproductive technology: researchers are building the world’s first “pregnancy robot”, a humanoid machine designed to carry a fetus for 10 months using an artificial womb. This innovation could open new paths to parenthood for couples struggling with infertility.
How the pregnancy robot works
Dr. Zhang Qifeng, a PhD at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, leads the project. Unlike an incubator that supports premature babies, this robot would replicate the entire gestational process from conception to delivery.
Inside the robot:
An artificial womb filled with amniotic fluid allows the fetus to grow.
Nutrients travel through a hose, functioning like an umbilical cord.
The robot is designed to interact with humans, carrying a pregnancy in real time.
Dr. Zhang points to prior animal experiments as proof of concept. In 2017, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia successfully allowed a premature lamb to grow in a “bio bag” artificial womb. Over four weeks, the lamb developed wool, showing that gestation outside a mother’s body is possible.
The next step for Dr. Zhang’s team is integrating this technology into a humanoid robot capable of sustaining a full pregnancy. He has not disclosed how fertilization and implantation will occur.
The team expects a prototype to be ready within a year, priced below 100,000 yuan (around $14,000 USD). Ethical and legal discussions are already underway with officials in Guangdong Province, exploring policy frameworks to guide this unprecedented technology.
Public reaction
The news quickly sparked debate on Chinese social media. On Weibo, the hashtag “World’s First Pregnancy Robot to Launch Within a Year” trended, while a Douyin video drew nearly 4,000 comments.
People reacted with a mix of curiosity and concern:
“Where do the eggs come from?” one commenter asked, raising practical questions about how the technology would work.
Others expressed optimism: “It’s good that women don’t have to suffer,” and “Women have finally been liberated.”
For people facing infertility, the news carried particular weight: “I tried artificial insemination three times but failed all of them. Now I have a chance to have a baby.”
At the same time, some voiced ethical unease, questioning whether gestation outside the human body could ever replace the experience of pregnancy and motherhood.
Infertility in China
Infertility rates in China rose from 11.9% in 2007 to 18% in 2020, according to data cited in The BMJ. Cities like Beijing and Shanghai now include artificial insemination and IVF in medical insurance coverage, supporting families who face challenges conceiving.
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Why this matters
The pregnancy robot signals a major step forward in reproductive technology, creating new opportunities for families facing infertility. For some, it represents relief from physical and emotional barriers that have long made conception difficult.