And proofthat the future is truly here, my friends, is that in a laboratory inthe Netherlands, a technology company called AquaWomb is developing somethingthat could change neonatal medicine forever, because they have developed aclinical-grade artificial womb capable of keeping babies alive who would be bornfar too early, babies who today would simply have nochance of survival.

The systemworks like a liquid incubator, designed to simulate the protective environmentof the womb, instead of air, the baby remains immersed in afluid similar to amniotic fluid, at the ideal temperature and surrounded by alayer of silicone that reacts to its movements, helping muscles andbones to strengthen naturally.

This technologyaddresses a dramatic problem: babies born between 22 and 24 weeks ofgestation have very little chance of survival because theirlungs are not yet ready to breathe air and current mechanical ventilatorscan cause fatal injuries. The AquaWomb artificial womb seeks tocompletely eliminate exposure to air, allowing the baby to continueits development in a safe aquatic environment, as if it were still inside thewomb. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

The concept combines biometric engineering and advanced life support, the baby would be born by cesarean section directly into a bag filled with the special fluid and would be connected to an artificial placenta, a fist-sized device that carries out the exchange of oxygen and nutrients in the blood, while microtubes remove carbon dioxide and metabolic waste, while fine cannulas infuse oxygen and vital substances, recreating the exchange that normally occurs within the mother's body.

If it works, this technology could save thousands of lives each year and drastically reduce the neurological and pulmonary sequelae associated with extreme prematurity; For a mother who could lose her baby, this technology could fill her with hope.

For researcher Elizabeth Chloe Romanes from Durham University, this technology raises deep ethical and philosophical questions. How do you classify a baby that develops outside the human body? What rights and loyal status would you have during that process? She concludes by saying that, “this type of device creates a new stage in human development, something we have never had to describe or regulate before.”