In China, a robot for gestating a baby is being developed — a prototype is expected in 2026.
It is reported that #андроид will be able to replicate the entire process from conception to birth, and its cost will be $14,000.
According to the developer, the project is based on artificial womb technology — a device filled with amniotic fluid, in which the fetus is carried, receiving nutrients from outside:
Zhang Zifeng — Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Such a method of incubation has already been tested on animals — in 2017, researchers in the USA successfully grew a premature lamb in an artificial womb. However, experts believe that the technology needs further development for a full reproduction cycle with a human embryo.
There are also questions about the ethical side of the process. After an interview with the project author went viral, a number of users condemned the development:
It is cruel when a fetus is born without a connection to the mother.
However, there were also supporters who claimed that the technology will finally "bring freedom to women."