Augmented External Birthing Chambers

Surrogate bots are all the rage these days. Why risk yourself or your future child with an inconsistent pregnancy? The Augmented External Birthing Chambers come in a wide array of types, from passive chambers that rest in your home, to a mobile system for those when you're on the go!

— SpOre Obstetrics Pamphlet

Availability

Available in most obstetrics and birth clinics, surrogate bots as they're colloquially known are readily available for all the citizens of Tor MegaCity . There are restrictions to access depending on district, income, and number of children already birthed. The free option is the external birthing chamber is housed within the obstetrics wing of the hospital where the fetus is implanted and grown for the full 40 weeks under the care and supervision of the the staff. This lowers cost as most housing in many districts do not allow the large charging stations and necessary medical hook ups required to keep a Surrogate in house.
These are very popular in the settlements beyond the moon, such as Crescent City and especially Mars. Pregnancy in the beginning years on Mars was a difficult undertaking. The stresses upon the body and the fetus during development, first due to the gravity differences, the high risk of famine, and other risks off planet. Even when the permanent bases and cities set up, pregnancy still remained difficult, so surrogate bots offered a way of keeping all parties safe without losing the option of having children entirely.

Surrogate bots also opened up the option for children for those affected by fertility issues or transgender clients just as an example.
Access to surrogates is restricted to citizens, which does require someone to have a Spindle. The devices are implanted by the age of two, unless someone is a new arrival or coming to one of the MegaCity reclamation ports as a climate refugee. ¹

Function

Surrogate droids are implanted with fertilized embryos at week ten of gestation to ensure viability of the embryos. The birthing parent may choose to carry for the first ten weeks, or they will be held a stasis unit that meets the demands of early gestation. The fetus continues to develop throughout the next stages and are under 24/7 care of the surrogate as it monitors all vitals signs, ambient temperature and a plethora of stats to ensure the proper growth and development right up until birth.

Form

High end surrogates are bipedal and humanoid in appearance. They come in a variety of colours but those seen in medical facilities are generally white with black glass accents. The womb of the surrogate is made of a shatter proof high grade glass with several levels of transparency to allow for the proper levels of UVA and UVB light. In case of emergency birth if the surrogate should lose power or be damaged in someway to prevent natural birth, the glass as a small shatter point to allow for access to the at risk fetus. The shatter point is hidden on the underside of the glass to keep it safe from accidental tampering, but if the surrogate loses power or is irreparably damaged the sphere will spin to reveal the break point, and can be spun to do the same should the need arise.

by Finn Beaton

¹ Spindles are required for space travel any and all people wishing to travel beyond the Moon must have a Spindle. It is necessary for the safety and preservation of the citizen as part of identification as well as body retrieval if that is possible depending on location where death occurred. Space is a deadly location and those willing to brave the stars for employment or a new opportunity must be willing to accept the risks. Do yourself and your family a favour, get a Spindle.