By Chanelle Hayes

Robotic in vitro fertilization (IVF) systems are being used to fertilize eggs in clinical trials, producing at least 20 children so far.

In June 2025, Alin Quintana walked into a fertility clinic in Mexico City carrying years of medical complications, including a lost pregnancy and emergency surgery after a burst fallopian tube. That day, she joined an experimental trial where a robot would help create her baby.

Infertility affects about 1 in 6 adults worldwide, yet access to treatment is limited, according to the World Health Organization. In many countries, patients pay out of pocket, often facing financial hardship. In the poorest nations, fertility care can push families into medical poverty traps.

Since the late 1970s, IVF — fertilizing an egg outside the body — has produced 10 million to 13 million babies, per Fertility and Sterility. The process traditionally requires skilled embryologists to select sperm, retrieve eggs, and perform fertilization.

Recently, robotic systems and artificial intelligence (AI) have begun automating parts of IVF. Algorithms can detect subtle patterns in sperm movement or embryo structure, while robotic arms handle fertilization and embryo manipulation with precision, speeding up the process and reducing human error.

In Mexico City, Conceivable Life Sciences, a startup co-founded by pioneering Mexican fertility doctor Alejandro Chávez-Badiola, uses its Aura system to automate 205 steps in IVF, from egg preparation to embryo creation. Couples unable to afford treatment can join clinical trials at no cost. According to the outlet, Overture Life, another startup, has tested similar AI-assisted systems in clinics across Latin America and Turkey, though neither system is yet approved in the United States.

Experts say that robotic IVF could tackle long-standing challenges in fertility care. Human embryologists vary in skill and speed, while machines deliver consistent results and don’t get fatigue. AI can also detect indicators of sperm and embryo health that humans might miss, potentially improving outcomes, lowering costs, and expanding access to underserved “fertility deserts.” Still, robotic IVF is experimental. Early studies show systems perform as well as manual procedures in selecting viable sperm, but long-term outcomes for children and costs remain unknown, the outlet notes.

“For any new system … that seems to solve a problem, you probably are taking on another set of problems that sometimes you don’t really understand,” said Serena H. Chen, founder and advocacy director at CCRM, a chain of fertility clinics in New Jersey.

For Quintana and her husband, robotic IVF offered a chance they could not otherwise afford. Working modest jobs, they could not have paid for traditional IVF, which often costs more than a year’s income in Mexico, according to the outlet. After her embryo transfer in June, Quintana learned she was pregnant. She is now 17 weeks along and hopes to tell her child they were among the first conceived with robotic IVF.

The rise of robotic IVF raises medical and ethical questions. Stigma and religious beliefs have led some participants to keep their involvement private, and using machines to automate deeply personal biological processes may spark debate over their role in human reproduction.

Early trials suggest robotic IVF can replicate the careful work of embryologists while expanding access to fertility treatment. Though still experimental, it may make fertility care more consistent, affordable, and available to millions facing high costs and limited options.