China's Qingtian Rent Platform Lets Users Rent Robots by the Day

A new platform called Qingtian Rent launched this week in China, offering short-term robot rentals across a range of scenarios and price points. The service was jointly introduced by Embodied AI companies including AgiBot and Accelerated Evolution, according to 42HOW Robotics.

The platform currently lists 16 rental scenarios and 8 robot models, with prices spanning 200 yuan to 100,000 yuan. Qingtian Rent plans to expand to 50 key cities within its first week and reach 200 cities nationwide by the 2026 Spring Festival, the outlet reported.

CEO Li Yiyan said the robot rental market has already surpassed 1 billion yuan in scale this year and is projected to reach at least 10 billion yuan next year, per 42HOW Robotics.

How Pricing Breaks Down

Entry-level rentals start around 100 to 500 yuan per day, such as placement patrol scenarios suited to quadruped or four-wheeled robotic dogs. Mid-tier options include short-drama filming with AgiBot's Lingxi X2 at roughly 2,000 yuan, while a company annual meeting package featuring one Yuanzheng A2, two Lingxi X2 units, and one Kutuo D1 runs about 13,300 yuan per day. At the top end, a 100,000-yuan sports competition scenario includes an indoor obstacle course with two Kutuo D1 robots.

Users can also rent bare robot chassis: the AgiBot Kutuo D1 starts at 200 yuan per day, the Lingxi X2 from 1,499 yuan, and Shouxing Technology's Jingling Xuan bionic robot from 5,000 yuan per day, according to the article.

Business Model and Early Adopters

Li Yiyan said entertainment-scenario rentals have already reached a commercial closed loop, building on demand from robot enthusiasm earlier this year. The platform aims to standardize a market previously reliant on riskier second-hand peer rentals, bringing in manufacturers, rental-service ecosystem partners, content partners for customization, and insurers covering both equipment and third-party liability, 42HOW Robotics reported.

Haidilao is listed as one of the first customers, deploying AgiBot's Lingxi X2 in restaurants to perform birthday dances and songs for diners.

Qingtian Rent says it plans to eventually cover over 200 core cities with more than 600 service providers and over 2,000 sets of equipment, promising 2-hour response within 100 kilometers in hub cities and 48-hour delivery elsewhere.

AgiBot marketing president Jiang Qingsong said robots could enter factory work next year, with home use still three to five years away, per the report.

Sources: 42HOW Robotics — original article.