🧫 Robots and AI help couples have children through IVF

• At least 20 children have already been born through clinical trials where robots and AI perform IVF treatment with minimal human intervention.
• An AI system can select the best sperm with 12 percent better results than embryologists by detecting movement patterns that humans cannot see.
• Automated systems can make IVF cheaper by reducing the need for expensive specialists and laboratories, which could give more people access to the treatment.

AI selects healthier sperm than doctors

A new technology combines robots and artificial intelligence to perform IVF treatment. The system uses the same type of computer vision that self-driving cars use to detect objects. The software can instantly identify the strongest sperm among hundreds of thousands, reports the Washington Post.

Research shows that AI outperforms doctors by 11.6 percent in predicting which embryos are genetically healthy. In selecting sperm, AI discovered a specific movement pattern - a fast corkscrew-like motion - that had not previously been identified as a sign of healthy sperm. This led to 12 percent more embryos ready for implantation compared to manual process.

Robot performs the entire IVF process

A system called Aura can automate 205 manual steps in IVF, from freezing eggs to creating embryos. The system was developed by the company Conceivable Life Sciences. The robot mixes chemicals to prepare the egg, selects the best sperm, and performs the delicate fertilization.

Precision robots from the semiconductor industry are used to handle the biological material. A small robot moves petri dishes between different stations. The system was first tested on mice and produced three generations of healthy pregnancies.

First child was born in 2023

The company Overture Life conducted the first pilot in 2023 in New York. The robot fertilized 13 healthy embryos out of 14 eggs, compared to 16 out of 18 in the manual control group. A woman who participated in the study now has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

Linda, who participated in the study, was initially afraid the child could be born with developmental problems. But after six years of trying to get pregnant and in her mid-40s, she was grateful for the opportunity. She says she doesn't even remember that her daughter was created with a machine.

Mexico tests the system on a large scale

In Mexico City, the largest study is now underway with 125 women. Most live far from the clinic and could not afford IVF otherwise. They receive the treatment for free in exchange for participating. At least 20 children have already been born through various automation studies over the past three years.

Alejandro Chávez-Badiola, Mexican doctor and founder of Conceivable, began developing the technology in 2016. He wanted to be able to count cells in embryos to improve results, but it took too long manually. Together with mathematicians and computer scientists, he built AI programs that can analyze 2.5 million subtle patterns in each image of an embryo. Of these, the program judged 94 as medically relevant indicators of a healthy embryo.

Portable technology can reach more people

Overture Life has developed a palm-sized robot box called DaVitri. Gynecologists can use it to prepare eggs for freezing directly at the clinic. The process takes 15 minutes and requires minimal effort from the doctor.

According to studies, 98.3 percent of DaVitri's eggs survive when thawed, compared to 96.4 percent with standard methods. The eggs also produce 12 percent more embryos ready for implantation. The machine is already being used in Panama, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The company is waiting for approval from the American agency FDA.

One-sixth of all people of reproductive age experience infertility according to the World Health Organization. The number is the same in developed and developing countries. The vast majority lack access to fertility care. The World Health Organization stated in a 2023 report that solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat infertility remain underfunded and inaccessible.

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