China Unveils Robot with Artificial Womb

China has revealed the world’s first robot equipped with an artificial womb, designed to carry out the full process of pregnancy and childbirth.

The breakthrough, announced by Chinese company “Kaiwa Technology”, has sparked widespread debate among scientists, ethicists, and the public.

The innovation was presented at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing. Company founder Zhang Qifeng explained that the robot can replicate the entire journey from fertilization to delivery, maintaining a fetus for up to ten months in an artificial amniotic fluid environment and supplying it with nutrients through a tube mimicking the umbilical cord.

The prototype is expected to reach the market by 2026, with an estimated price of under 100,000 yuan (around 13,900 US dollars). It is aimed at people who wish to avoid the physical strain of pregnancy as well as couples facing infertility challenges.

The announcement has divided opinion. Some hailed it as a breakthrough for reproductive medicine, while others voiced serious concerns over its ethical and legal implications.

Zhang confirmed that discussions are ongoing with authorities in Guangdong province to establish a suitable legislative and regulatory framework.

Artificial womb technology is not entirely new. In 2017, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia successfully sustained a premature lamb in a so-called “biobag” until it fully developed. However, experts argue that moving from partial support for fetuses to enabling complete pregnancy remains a major scientific challenge.