---
title: Life found a way with… a PS5 controller?
description: Startups are looking to automate IVF, making it more affordable and reliable for aspiring parents.
---

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# [Life found a way with… a PS5 controller?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/life-found-a-way-with-a-ps5-controller)

 Written by [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) | May 1, 2023 9:49:20 PM

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done with a PlayStation 5 controller, and why isn’t it bringing human life into the world?

For many aspiring parents, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is prohibitively expensive.

- A single cycle can cost [$15k-$30k](https://www.forbes.com/health/family/how-much-does-ivf-cost/); insurance coverage varies.
- Many patients undergo multiple cycles before conceiving, and it’s never a guarantee.

Spanish IVF startup Overture Life, which has raised ~$37m from backers including Google Ventures and 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, has an idea: automation.

And recently, it announced the first babies born via its fertilization bot, [per](https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/04/25/1071933/first-babies-conceived-sperm-injecting-robot-ivf-automation-icsi-overture/) *MIT Technology Review*.

#### **How it works**

Typically, highly trained embryologists handle sperm and egg cells with thin, hollow needles under a microscope.

But Overture implanted a sperm cell into an egg using a robotic needle, which an engineer piloted using a Sony PS5 controller.

- This process was repeated 12+ times, resulting in two baby girls.

CIO and geneticist Santiago Munné told *MIT* that he ultimately envisions a mini-IVF lab — “a box where sperm and eggs go in, and an embryo comes out five days later.” Any GYN could use the tech, thus, making it much cheaper than seeing a specialist.

#### **Overture isn’t the only company…**

… in the IVF space, a market expected to be worth [$36.2B](https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2019-04-09/ivf-market-size-worth-36-2-billion-by-2026-cagr-10-2-grand-view-research-inc?sref=3Ac2yX40) by 2026.

[Fairtility](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ganeskesari/2022/06/30/heres-how-ai-is-helping-make-babies-by-revolutionizing-ivf/?sh=1433b6717330)’s Cultivating Human Life through Optimal Embryos [(CHLOE)](https://fairtility.com/chloe/) is an AI-powered tool to help clinicians select healthy embryos.

Fertilis makes 3D-printed cradles to hold eggs and embryos, reducing human handling.

#### **But?**

These developments are full of potential that once felt like sci-fi (e.g., artificial wombs), but full automation is still a long way off.

Overture’s process still requires humans, and some doctors* MIT* spoke with believe robots aren’t quite capable of outperforming humans… at least not yet.

**BTW:** Yes, we *did* find [a game](https://www.crazygames.com/game/the-great-sperm-race) in which you are a sperm cell attempting to fertilize an egg — no PS5 required.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/life-found-a-way-with-a-ps5-controller)

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