Scientists in China dropped a bombshell: a humanoid “pregnancy robot” that carries a fetus for 10 months and spits out a baby, with a prototype due by 2026. Priced at a dirt-cheap 100,000 yuan (~19.3 million won), this contraption is their fix for infertility and population decline.
Dr. Zhang Qifeng, from Nanyang Technological University, is cooking up this nightmare – a robot with a fake womb in its guts, copying pregnancy from start to finish. This gook machine uses synthetic amniotic fluid and a hose to feed the fetus. Zhang leans on a 2017 “biobag” trial, where a premature lamb grew four weeks in a vinyl sack, to claim the tech’s legit. It’s aimed at infertile couples and weirdos who want kids without tying the knot, promising less risk and no C-sections. His Hong Kong crew, at it for two years, plans a 2026 launch and is already sweet-talking Guangdong officials to dodge ethical heat. How do they fertilize it? Crickets.
Weibo’s on fire, with “#World’s First Pregnancy Robot” topping searches. Nearly 4,000 Douyin comments show gooks split: some cheer the price (“half my salary!”) and infertility fix (“finally, a kid!”), while others slam it as “cruel” for cutting out a mother’s bond and demand answers on egg and sperm sources. With infertility at 18% in 2020, per The Lancet, gooks are eating it up. But it’s a straight path to a post-human world.
