Chinese companies have been aggressively pursuing the nascent humanoid robot market. So far, most of the robots are not very practical, but they can do cartwheels, show off their kung fu, and play soccer, only occasionally turning murderous.
Reports surfaced last month that Dr. Zhang Qifeng from Nanyang Technological University was developing the first humanoid pregnancy robot. The robot would combine a humanoid robot with an artificial womb to carry an embryo from conception to birth. The robot was a year away from production and would cost under $14,000. Reactions were mixed, with some excited for the opportunities for infertile couples. Many others expressed horror at the idea of robot baby factories that felt right out of dystopian sci-fi stories.
Independent fact checks by Live Science and Snopes found that the story was a hoax. Kaiwa Technology, mentioned in some versions of the story, does not appear to exist. No one by the name of Zhang Qifeng holds a PhD from Nanyang Technological University, and no such research is being conducted there.
The story was picked up and shared by numerous sites and news organizations, including Newsweek, The New York Post, and The Daily Mail. A variety of different AI-generated images of creepy robots were included with the reports. Most of these stories are still online, with no indication that they have been debunked or retracted.
Live Science interviewed several scientists about the ethics and practicality of a gestation robot. Artificial wombs for extremely premature babies are in development, but the technical requirements for a robot to carry a fetus for a full term are beyond our current capabilities, at least for now. As to whether we should even try to create such a thing, one scientist gave an unequivocal "no." Time will tell if the rest of the scientific community agrees.
Previously:
• Factory robot convinces 12 other robots to go on strike
• How to teach robots teamwork
• Robotic parcel sorting facility in China
