In hospitals across the US, patients and staff have grown accustomed to seeing a one-armed, four-foot tall white robot named Moxi rolling around, delivering medical supplies and occasionally receiving high-fives or hugs. Moxi, built by Texas-based Diligent Robotics, responds with heart-shaped LED eyes and a cheerful beep. About 100 of these droids are currently in operation, but hospitals don't need to buy them - they can rent them.

Welcome to robotics-as-a-service, where companies bundle the robot, maintenance, and upgrades into a monthly fee. Todd Brugger, COO of Diligent Robotics, explains that this lowers upfront costs and allows hospitals to keep up with rapidly evolving tech. "We're routinely evolving the software and capabilities of the robot," he says. Robot rentals now span from a day to years, covering everything from bartending to weeding farms.

Humanoid robots are also joining the rental market, though they're still a work-in-progress. For now, they mostly entertain - dancing or serving at weddings. Ethan Qi of Counterpoint Research notes that training a robot to dance is surprisingly simple: "You hire a real dancer to perform and video it. The video is then used to train the robot." But the engineer still tags along, just in case.

California's 1X plans to ship its home helper NEO later this year, offering early access customers a choice: buy it outright for $20,000, or subscribe for $499 per month. Dar Sleeper, VP of product and design, says the subscription makes it affordable for more people. Given that new models drop every year, renting might be smarter than owning - you can always upgrade to the latest version.

Chicago's Formic has over 250 industrial robots on subscription, with everything included. "If the robot arm burns out, that's on us," says chief revenue officer Shawn Fitzgerald. The flat monthly fee levels the playing field for smaller companies that couldn't afford factory robots before. Some rental fees are even tied to how much human labor the robot saves, according to analyst Marco Wang.

In China, humanoid rentals are testing grounds for future domestic use, with robots working in hotels or cleaning apps. Shanghai's Agibot offers rentals in 17 countries, including the UK. But outright purchases may still dominate, driven by government subsidies and corporate prestige. For now, renting a robot is like leasing a car - only this one might eventually fold your laundry.