Chinese researchers have announced that they are developing a humanoid robot with an artificial womb designed to replicate the entire process of human pregnancy—from conception to birth. Led by Dr Zhang Qifeng of Kaiwa Technology, the project was unveiled at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing. The artificial womb, filled with synthetic amniotic fluid and connected to a nutrient delivery system, is intended to support foetal growth through a full-term gestation. A prototype is expected by 2026, with an estimated cost of about 1,00,000 yuan (around Rs12 lakh).
The idea builds on earlier work, like the 2017 “biobag” experiment in Philadelphia, where researchers kept premature lambs alive for up to four weeks in a fluid-filled bag that mimicked the womb. Not surprisingly, the project has triggered heated ethical debates—ranging from concerns over disrupted maternal bonding and psychological effects on children to questions about sourcing eggs and sperm. Supporters, however, see it as a breakthrough for infertility treatment and a way to reduce pregnancy-related health risks.
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Artificial wombs are an idea that is at least a century old. In the 1920s, British-born Indian scientist J.B.S. Haldane, a pioneer in evolutionary biology, predicted that by 2074 most births could be ectogenic (development of an embryo outside the body), freeing women from pregnancy and reshaping society. Literature and fiction also embraced the concept. For instance, in Aldous Huxley’s 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World, artificial gestation plays a central role. Modern research for artificial wombs builds on this vision.
European philosopher and medical ethicist Anna Smajdor is someone who had studied extensively the potential of artificial wombs to alter human reproduction and its evolutionary implications. She argues that if childbirth no longer depended on the birth canal, the evolutionary pressure against larger foetal heads or brains would weaken, since complications like obstructed labour would no longer act as a filter. This could mean that human reproduction faces major shifts, allowing traits like larger heads or brains to persist.
Genes related to uterine function or pelvic adaptations are under selective pressure because they are critical for successful vaginal delivery. If artificial wombs make natural pregnancy rare, these genes could accumulate mutations over many generations, as their functionality becomes less critical for reproductive success. This is analogous to the evolutionary loss of function in vestigial structures like the human appendix.
Smajdor also looks at the social and ethical dimensions of ectogenesis, arguing that it could separate reproduction from women’s biology, which may challenge traditional gender norms and lessen the physical and social burdens of pregnancy. She sees this potential separation as a form of liberation for women. However, critics raise concerns about the commodification of reproduction and the weakening of the maternal-foetal bond because of artificial gestation. Nevertheless, thinkers like Smajdor believe that a full shift to artificial wombs is unlikely without global mandates. She believes that cultural and ethical barriers would remain, making a mix of natural and artificial reproduction a more realistic scenario for the coming decades.