A new breakthrough in reproductive science may soon change the way humans are born. Chinese scientists are creating the world’s first “gestation robot” that can carry a human pregnancy to full term. The project is being developed by Kaiwa Technology, a Guangzhou-based firm led by Dr Zhang Qifeng, a scientist affiliated with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

At the World Robot Conference in Beijing in August 2025, Dr. Zhang stated that the technology has reached a “mature stage” and is being readied to be installed in a humanoid robot’s abdomen. This would allow “a real person and the robot to interact to achieve pregnancy, allowing the foetus to grow inside.” According to The Telegraph, a functional prototype is expected by 2026, with an estimated cost of 100,000 yuan (about 11,000 / $14,000).

The artificial womb replicates the conditions of a human uterus. Inside, the foetus floats in synthetic amniotic fluid, receiving nutrients and oxygen through a tube, much like an umbilical cord. This development builds on previous research: in 2017, US scientists successfully kept premature lambs alive in a fluid-filled “biobag”, which now acts as a foundation for Dr Zhang’s humanoid pregnancy system (Kbizoom).

Potential benefits and ethical concerns

Experts say the invention could help the 15% of couples worldwide struggling with infertility. It may also reduce medical risks for women who cannot or prefer not to undergo pregnancy.

Many critics, however, have raised ethical concerns: how would a child born from a robot form early emotional connections with parents? Where would eggs and sperm come from, and could this encourage a black market? What psychological effects might arise for children who know they were gestated by machines? According to the New York Post, the project has already “sparked an ethical debate” in China, with worries about its psychological impact and the potential “commodification” of childbirth.

In response, authorities in Guangdong Province are working with Dr Zhang’s team to establish legal and policy guidelines before the prototype is introduced. The Telegraph reported that these guidelines will address issues such as the definition of parenthood, the role of surrogacy, and the long-term rights of children born via artificial wombs.

While some see this as a revolutionary step in science, others worry it may lead to a future where motherhood is outsourced to machines. By 2026, Kaiwa Technology may make history with the first baby born from a robot, forcing humanity to ask not just how life is created, but whether society is ready for it.

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