The world's first artificial womb facility allows parents to pick their child's characteristics.

Parents can choose characteristics for babies at the artificial womb facility

Parents can choose characteristics for babies at the artificial womb facility

EctoLife is able to grow 30,000 babies a year and is based on more than half a century of groundbreaking research.

The concept is the brainchild of the Berlin-based biotechnologist Hashem Al-Ghaili and he claims that the facility will allow infertile couples to conceive a baby and become the true biological parents of their offspring.

A so-called 'Elite Package' will enable parents to genetically engineer the embryo before it is implanted into the artificial womb.

Parents would be able to decide on eye and hair colour as well as other vital traits such as height, strength and intelligence. Inherited genetic diseases can also be avoided.

Al-Ghaili said: "Introducing EctoLife, the world's first artificial womb facility, which is powered entirely by renewable energy.

"According to the World Health Organization, around 300,000 women die from pregnancy complications. EctoLife artificial womb is designed to alleviate human suffering and reduce the chance of C-sections.

"With EctoLife, premature births and C-sections will be a thing of the past."