A Chinese robotics firm has announced progress on what could be the first humanoid robot able to carry a pregnancy to term, setting off a heated global discussion over the role of machines in human reproduction.
Kaiwa Technology, a Shenzhen-based company led by scientist Zhang Qifeng, says it is finalising a humanoid surrogate robot equipped with an artificial womb.
Speaking to Chinese media, Zhang explained that the device features an incubation pod capable of sustaining an embryo for 10 months before delivering a baby. The robot may hit the market within a year at a projected cost of under 100,000 yuan ($14,000).
The project, however, has divided opinion. Online discussions in China revealed that couples facing infertility expressed hope that the innovation might offer them a chance at parenthood. Some said the price was affordable compared to years of failed fertility treatments.
But critics voiced deep concerns, describing the technology as unnatural and ethically troubling. They argued that a machine could never replace the emotional and biological connection between a mother and her child.
Health experts echoed these reservations, noting that many aspects of pregnancy—such as hormone regulation, immune responses, and neurological influences on the fetus—are beyond the reach of robotics.