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“We have created a platform that has for the first time ever standardized ICSI,” the paper’s co-author Alejandro Chavez-Badiolaco-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Conceivable, informed Live Science. Standardization can help in reducing human mistake in ICSI and hence minimize the possibility of egg degeneration throughout the treatment, Chavez-Badiola stated.

“Performing ICSI for hundreds of eggs in a single day is an arduous task,” noted Dr. Erkan Buyuk, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at RMA of New York, who wasn’t involved in the research.

“Any technologic development that would minimize this effort would be much valued in any embryology laboratory,” Buyuk, who is also a clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Live Science in an email.

ICSI involves selecting a sperm, immobilizing it, picking it up, and injecting it into the egg. “Everybody has their own method” when it comes to performing this process, Chavez-Badiola said, but egg cells are very delicate and at risk of degenerating during ICSI.

Automating ICSI could reduce this degeneration by reducing mechanical resistance against the membrane of the egg — too much tension during injection can compromise fertilization or destroy the egg entirely, according to the paper.

Related: Do sperm really race to the egg?

How the automated system works

Conceivable’s automated system uses an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to select optimal sperm to inject into the egg, based on the sperm cells’ shape. A second AI algorithm then identifies the most viable embryos, assessing the appearance of their chromosomes and their potential to implant in the uterine wall.

A laser is used to immobilize sperm tails precisely at the midpoint, and a motor then pierces the egg’s membrane with a single movement to inject the sperm cell. Each step of the process is initiated by a person pushing a button as they monitor the procedure unfolding.

The penetration of the sperm into the egg doesn’t guarantee fertilization in either conventional IVF or ICSI, but it is, of course, a key step. From there, the fertilized egg is introduced to the uterus by a doctor and must implant to result in pregnancy.

The paper notes that this automated ICSI process takes more time compared to the manual process. It took the automated system, on average, 9 minutes and 56 seconds per egg, while the manual process clocked in at 1 minute and 22 seconds on average, per egg.

The team used a total of eight egg cells in this experiment. Five were fertilized through the new process, while three were fertilized through manual ICSI. The automated system produced four embryos from the five eggs, while all three eggs in the manual group were successfully fertilized.

Next steps

Chavez-Badiola noted that the team is continuing to improve upon the automated system.

Buyuk also emphasized that this trial marks a starting point. “Numerous research studies are required to make sure security and effectiveness of the treatment, guaranteeing the sperm with the greatest reproductive capability is chosen while damage to the oocyte [egg cell] is decreased,” he said.

Nonetheless, Buyuk and others in the field recognize the technological advance as important.

“Experienced, manual labor in the embryology lab is a rate-limiting action in the IVF lab,” said Dr. Emily Jungheim, chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Northwestern Medicine Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, told Live Science in an email. “If done right, the tools explained in the paper might enhance access to and scalability of IVF,” said Jungheim, who was not involved in the work.

Chavez-Badiola says the “supreme objective” is to achieve “end-to-end automation” of ICSI — however, a human will always be part of the process. For instance, embryologists would oversee the process to ensure every step goes as planned, while engineers ensure the equipment functions properly. Ideally, this innovation will “lower the expenses, enhance gain access to, and enable more households to have the pleasure of kids,” Chavez-Badiola said.

“It’s so amazing,” he said. “We’re making history.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6:45 p.m. on April 14, 2025, to clarify that this is the first baby born via a remotely operated, automated ICSI procedure. The article was first published earlier the same day. Dr. Erkan Buyuk’s title was also updated.

Elana Spivack is a science author based in New York City. She has a master’s degree from New York University’s Science Health and Environmental Reporting Program and a bachelor’s from Kenyon College in Ohio. She’s composed for Inverse, Popular Science, BitchMedia and others.

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