In hospitals across the United States, patients and staff are accustomed to seeing six-foot-tall, one-armed, friendly-looking white robots going about their business.
Nurses are known for using Moxie, which manufacturer Diligent Robotics calls a robot, to say “hello,” “high five,” and even a hug. Moxi, which delivers medical supplies to hospitals, could respond by displaying heart-shaped LED eyes and a unique greeting message.”We’ve gotten a lot of feedback that Moxie makes them feel like they’re part of the team,” says Todd Brueger, chief operating officer of the Texas-based robotics company, which operates about 100 wheeled robots. But taking Moxie to the hospital doesn’t mean you need to buy a car right away. Rather, it is one of the robots available for rental or subscription. Robotics companies use the term “Robotics as a Service.” In addition to the robot itself, the contract includes service, maintenance, and upgrades. If necessary, the robot can be controlled by a human engineer sitting in a remote control room.
For Moxie, Bruegger says: “There is no need to pay the full purchase price upfront, which reduces costs and hospitalization costs. Secondly, and more importantly in my opinion, this technology is developing very rapidly…we are constantly improving the software and the capabilities of our robots.
Robot rentals are increasingly available for a variety of applications, ranging from one day to several years, from Moxi hospital deliveries to robot bartenders and autonomous agricultural weeders.
This increasingly includes early humanoid models designed to behave and look like humans and function in environments designed for humans. Since humanoids are still under development, they are currently employed for well-defined tasks. This often means having fun. Depending on the model, this machine can dance, sing, and serve guests at weddings and corporate events.
Ethan Qi, deputy director of Counterpoint Research in Beijing, said performances such as humanoid dance are relatively easy to pull off. “We hire real dancers to perform and film them, and the video is used to train the robot. Then the robot will be able to dance. But when the environment or platform is difficult, engineers often still use robots,” he explains. 1X Robot head placed on workbench 1X
Renting allows buyers to keep up with rapidly changing technology.
But the ambitions of humanoid rentals go beyond funny dance routines shared on social media, often in China. What happens if you sign up for a cleaning robot? California-based 1X plans to begin shipping its NEO home assistant robot later this year. Early access customers in the US can pay $20,000 (£15,000) for their own robot or $499 (£378) per month for a subscription. “Many customers purchase NEO outright, but a subscription significantly reduces upfront costs and makes NEO accessible to more people,” said Darl Sleeper, the company’s vice president of product and design.
One of the attractions of leasing over buying outright is the speed at which robotics technology advances. Spending money on a new humanoid now will probably quickly become obsolete. Qi said: “Every year, robotics companies release new models, new versions of their hardware. If you have a robot, you can’t replace it with a new one, but if you rent a robot, you can always rent the newest one.”
Renting also eliminates the need for deep technical knowledge. All you have to do is bring your concerns to the manufacturer or rental platform. Qi said: “This helps solve technical problems because customers don’t know how to program robots.”
1X’s 1X Neo robot works with the blue box on the shelf. 1X
1X plans to offer Neo robot for $499 per month
Humanoid robots are not the only thing driving demand for robot rentals. Chicago-based company Formic has more than 250 robot-as-a-service industrial robots. “Everything is included,” says Sean Fitzgerald, Formic’s chief revenue officer. “If the robot arm burns out, it’s our fault and we have to get a new one.”
He argues that Formic’s fixed monthly payment model “levels the playing field” for small and medium-sized businesses that previously could not afford to purchase factory robots outright. Formic is also currently testing humanoid robots for industrial applications.
In addition to fixed fees, other robot rental payment systems are emerging. Marco Wang, an analyst at Interact Analysis, said some companies are starting to require rent to be tied directly to the amount of human labor saved by robots.
For robot manufacturers, in addition to revenue, rental programs provide an opportunity to test products in real-world conditions and collect useful data. This is especially important for humanoids. “The technology doesn’t exist yet. It’s still immature,” Wang said. Anadolu (via Getty Images) Agibot robot exercises on stage at the VivaTech conference in Paris in 2026 Anadolu (via Getty Images)
Agibot robots are available for rent in 17 countries.
Some companies in China, an early leader in the humanoid field and a country with a growing number of rental programs, are leasing their creations for use in hotels, providing training grounds for future home use. Some companies offer cleaning application rentals. Chinese companies have begun offering overseas rentals through partner companies。 But even if rentals become more common, Shanghai’s Wang suspects that direct purchases of humanoids will become mainstream in China due to government incentives. He said: “There are a lot of orders for humanoid robots from Chinese state-owned enterprises, and many of those orders are motivated by subsidies.”
In China and other countries, some companies may choose to purchase robots directly for prestige, to learn skills, or to improve profits. But as robots become more sophisticated and the market grows, the convenience and affordability of rentals may be the answer for some.
