China unveils the first robot that can carry and give birth to humans.
On August 8, Dr. Zhang Zhifeng gave an interview to the tech platform Kuai Qiqi, which sparked a buzz on Chinese social media. Dr. Zhifeng claimed that they were finalizing a pregnant robot capable of raising and giving birth to a human child, a type of surrogate pregnancy.
Zhang Zhifeng holds a PhD from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and is CEO of Kaiwa Technology, a Chinese company that aims to commercialize a robot capable of carrying a human fetus.
It is claimed that it will go on sale within a year, at a price of less than 100,000 Chinese yuan, or about $12,000.
In an interview with ChosunBiz, Dr. Zhang Chifeng explained that Kaiwa Technology's robot is equipped with an advanced incubator in its abdominal cavity, i.e., its stomach.
But it's not a simple incubator. It can manage a pregnancy of up to ten months and deliver a baby, just like a normal human. According to Chifeng, animal tests have been successful.
This artificial womb nourishes the fetus, which is surrounded by amniotic fluid, and is supplied with nutrients through a tube connected to the umbilical cord.
"Artificial womb technology is at an advanced stage, and it is now necessary to implant it in the abdomen of a robot so that a real human and a robot can interact and achieve pregnancy, allowing a fetus to grow inside," explains Dr. Zhang Chifeng.
I'm not entirely sure what he means by "a real human and a robot can interact and achieve pregnancy," but it's easy to imagine many things... What makes sense is that the robot directly receives an already fertilized embryo.
Despite the optimistic forecasts of Kaiwa Technology's CEO, many experts don't see it that way.
Medicine still does not know how to fully replicate important aspects of pregnancy, such as maternal hormone secretion, immune system interaction, and neurological development that occur during pregnancy.
Controversy is escalating. A Chinese company claims it will launch a robot capable of raising a human fetus to birth within a year, for $12,000. Some see this as an exception, but it may be a more ethical solution for people unable to have children than using a surrogate mother. Will we ever see this robot?