Chinese pregnancy robot story collapses: What is the real science?

The viral story about a Chinese company, Kaiwa Technology, developing a humanoid "pregnancy robot" capable of gestating and delivering a human baby within ten months has been thoroughly debunked. The narrative, which included AI-generated images and a purported inventor named Zhang Qifeng—who was found to be non-existent—was revealed as a hoax by multiple fact-checkers including Snopes and Live Science. Investigations confirmed no verifiable evidence or institutional backing existed, with Nanyang Technological University denying any involvement or research related to such a device. The story’s rapid spread was driven by compelling visuals and a simplified technological promise rather than factual accuracy. Beyond the debunking, the article highlights the immense scientific and biological challenges involved in creating an artificial womb capable of full human gestation. The primary obstacle is replicating the placenta’s complex functions, which include oxygen and nutrient delivery, waste removal, and immune regulation. Current lab experiments have only managed short-term oxygenation support in animal