From shopping mall openings, brand launches, and pop-up stores to home companionship, mountain hiking assistance, and AI interaction—the civilian applications of robot rentals are rapidly expanding. This summer, the robot rental market has experienced a significant boom, and price reductions are the primary catalyst for this surge.
The commercial sector is hot, but the consumer market is even more intense. At a digital equipment rental store in Wuhan, consumer Zhang Cheng is examining a newly stocked exoskeleton robot, priced at 99 yuan for three days. Staff members revealed that the store previously rented only film and digital products, but after recognizing the potential of the robot rental market, it has recently added numerous related rental items.
Additionally, at a robot rental company in Wuhan, engineers are conducting final checks on robots set to be shipped nationwide. Reporters learned that almost all remaining robots in the warehouse are already booked, with many machines scheduled for approximately 20 performances each month. Gao Wentao, General Manager of Wuhan Haochuangda Technology Co., Ltd., provided a breakdown: from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the daily rental price for a humanoid robot was around 8,000 yuan. Now, it has dropped to between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan. The delivery cycle has also been significantly impacted. The wait time for ordering a robot during the same period last year was 45 to 60 days; now, the most popular machines can be delivered as quickly as from stock.
Reporters from multiple rental platforms learned that companion robots for voice interaction, chess playing, and similar activities are currently in the highest demand. Depending on the rental duration, monthly fees range from 200 to 300 yuan. Meng Chao, Operations Manager of Renrenzu, disclosed that rental prices for embodied robots start at 1,999 yuan per day. The number of robots in inventory has grown from over 1,000 last year to 10,000 this year. Platform data shows that robot rental orders in July increased by 30% compared to June and soared by 150% year-on-year.
Data indicates that as of April 2026, the number of enterprises related to robot rental services nationwide reached 153,000, with 38,200 new registrations in 2025, representing a 55.7% increase year-on-year. Industry insiders suggest that as robot rental services expand, robots will evolve from a single-function "atmosphere enhancer" into a regular tool for production and service, thereby further expanding the market size. Some institutions predict that the domestic robot rental market will surpass 10 billion yuan in 2026.
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