Guangzhou-based Kaiwa Technology plans to release the world’s first pregnancy-simulating robot within a year at a price below 100,000 yuan (US,000), drawing both praise and criticism online.
Kaiwa Technology’s founder and CEO, Zhang Qifeng, said it is designed as a humanoid with a womb capable of replicating conception through delivery, Hong Kong news outlet The Standard reported, citing Chinese media.

"The artificial womb technology is already in a mature stage, and now it needs to be implanted in the robot's abdomen so that a real person and the robot can interact to achieve pregnancy, allowing the fetus to grow inside," Zhang told Chinese science and technology outlet Kuai Ke Zhi, as quoted by Chosun Biz.

Unlike an incubator, the pregnancy robot’s womb would be filled with artificial amniotic fluid, with nutrients supplied to the fetus via a hose. Zhang, a PhD graduate from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the technology is aimed at young people who want children but wish to avoid biological pregnancy.

"I initiated development to solve the population decline issue," he said in a video interview posted on Chinese social media platform Douyin on Aug. 8. "While commercial surrogacy is designated as illegal, I want to meet the demand of those who do not wish to marry but want to have children."

He said a prototype could be available within a year, priced under 100,000 yuan, and noted that Kaiwa has held forums with Guangdong Province authorities and submitted policy proposals regarding ethical and legal concerns.

Founded in 2015, Kaiwa Technology has previously developed service and reception robots.

News of the project pushed the hashtag "#World’s First Pregnancy Robot to Launch Within a Year" to the top of Weibo’s search rankings, while Zhang’s interview video on Douyin attracted nearly 4,000 comments.

Critics said the device was "cruel for a fetus to be born without connection to a mother" and that it "completely violates human ethics," while others questioned the biological source for creating babies. Supporters said it was good that women would no longer have to endure the physical burden of pregnancy. Some added they would purchase the device immediately if the price was affordable.

Others expressed hope it could help couples facing infertility. "I tried artificial insemination three times but failed all of them. Now I have a chance to have a baby," one person wrote.

China’s infertility rate rose from 11.9% in 2007 to 18% in 2020, according to Chosun Biz. Cities including Beijing and Shanghai now cover artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization under medical insurance to support childbirth among infertile couples.

In 2022, researchers at the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology in Jiangsu Province developed an AI "nanny robot" to monitor and care for embryos growing in artificial wombs. However, Chinese law prohibits developing human fetuses in artificial wombs beyond two weeks,