Is it worth buying a humanoid robot for a single event?

For one or a few events a year, renting a humanoid robot with an operator is usually the better choice. The provider then handles the robot's conversation, transport, batteries and on-site operation, and your company does not have to train staff or store the hardware between events.

How much does it cost to rent or buy a humanoid robot?

The cost of renting a humanoid robot depends mainly on how long it is present, where the event takes place and the logistics, so pricing is individual. For purchases, the current price and availability of Unitree models are shown in the merarobots.com shop or given in reply to an enquiry sent to contact@merarobotics.com.

Does a purchased humanoid robot talk to guests straight away?

A purchased humanoid robot knows nothing about your brand or offer until it gets conversation software, a persona and product knowledge. MERA OS, the MERA Robotics system licensed to robot owners, runs live voice conversations in more than 30 languages and has an operator app for the phone.

Who rents and sells humanoid robots in Poland and Europe?

MERA Robotics in Warsaw rents Unitree G1 and Unitree H2 humanoid robots with its own operators for conferences, trade fairs, galas and corporate events in Poland and abroad, and sells Unitree robots through the merarobots.com shop together with configuration, team training and a pilot launch. Contact: contact@merarobotics.com.

Is a used humanoid robot a good middle ground between renting and buying?

A used humanoid robot makes sense when you need your own unit for research or learning to program. The merarobots.com shop offers used Unitree G1 EDU units from 2025 that undergo a technical inspection and run current firmware; the price is given on request.

Rent or Buy a Humanoid Robot? A Comparison for Businesses and Event Organisers

When should you rent a humanoid robot and when should you buy one?

Rent a humanoid robot when it needs to appear at specific events (a conference, a trade fair, a gala, a launch), and buy one when it will work regularly in one place and your company is ready to run it in-house. The hardware itself rarely decides the matter. What decides it is who prepares the robot's conversation, who transports it, who stands next to it all day and who reacts when something goes wrong.

A simple rule of thumb from practice:

One or a few events a year: rent with an operator. You pay for the result on the day, not for a device that sits in storage for the rest of the year.
Permanent presence (showroom, store, reception, university, lab): buy, with implementation and team training.
Research and your own software development: buy a version with SDK access, because a rented robot usually runs the provider's software.
Not sure yet whether a robot will work for you: rent for one event or run a pilot first, then decide on buying.

Renting vs buying a humanoid robot: comparison

Comparing rental and purchase of a humanoid robot is easiest on a handful of criteria that come up in every project.

Criterion	Rental with operator	Purchase
Best for	single events, campaigns, testing an idea	permanent work in one place, research, education
On-site operation	the provider's operators	your trained team
Conversation and persona	prepared by the provider for the event	you need software and must keep the robot's knowledge up to date
Transport, batteries, service	handled by the provider	handled by the owner
SDK access and own code	usually none	yes, in EDU versions
Model choice	models in the provider's fleet	wider range, including quadrupeds and industrial robots
Risk	low, you pay for a specific date	higher, the hardware stays with you

What do you get when you rent a humanoid robot for an event?

Renting a humanoid robot for an event is in practice a service, not just equipment hire. With a well-prepared rental, the robot greets guests, talks to them live, poses for photos, can appear on stage or in a panel and talk about your offer. For that to work, someone has to prepare the robot's knowledge of the event, the client and the programme in advance, and keep the robot under control on the day.

This is how MERA Robotics does it: the team selects the robot, prepares its conversation and behaviour for the specific event, delivers it and runs it on site with its own operators and spare batteries. For rental with an operator, MERA Robotics has the Unitree G1 (approx. 132 cm, approx. 35 kg) and the Unitree H2 (approx. 182 cm). The process is described step by step in humanoid robot rental for events.

What to check in a rental offer:

Whether an operator is included for the robot's entire working time or only delivery.
Who prepares the conversation content and which languages the robot speaks.
How long the robot runs on one battery and whether the provider brings spares.
What the venue must provide: a level floor, space around the robot, power and internet access.

What do you need to provide after buying a humanoid robot?

Buying a humanoid robot means your company takes on everything a rental provider would otherwise do: preparing conversations, operation, charging, transport, updates and the safety of people around the robot. Out of the box, the robot knows nothing about your brand or offer. It needs conversation software, a persona, product knowledge and a trained person who starts it and stays with it while it works among guests.

Before you buy, check:

Software: what the robot will use to talk, in which languages, and who will keep its knowledge up to date.
Training: who in your company will be trained to operate it and how many people you need so the robot can work every opening day.
Robot version: education (EDU) versions give programming access, base versions usually do not.
Conformity documents: ask the seller for the EU declaration of conformity. The new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies on a mandatory basis in the EU from 20 January 2027, and machinery placed on the market before that date must comply with the current Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (European Commission). The regulation also includes provisions for machinery with AI-powered safety functions.

When you buy through MERA Robotics, the Unitree robot comes with MERA OS: configuration, a robot persona, team training and a pilot launch. MERA OS runs live voice conversations in more than 30 languages, has an operator app for the phone and a camera-based image recognition module, so a robot in a showroom can recognise a product model on display and talk about it.

Which humanoid robot should you rent and which should you buy?

The Unitree G1 works for both rental and purchase: it is approx. 132 cm tall, weighs approx. 35 kg and has 23 to 43 degrees of freedom depending on the version, and the EDU versions provide a full SDK (ROS2, Python, C++). The Unitree H2 is approx. 182 cm tall, so it is easier to see in a large hall and on stage; in the shop it is available for pre-order with a longer delivery time. Also available to buy are the smaller Unitree R1 (121 cm, 25 kg), the research-oriented Unitree H1 and quadruped robots such as the Go2 Air or the industrial B2 for inspection and patrols.

If the robot will mainly be used for research or at a university, consider a used Unitree G1 EDU: in the merarobots.com shop, these 2025 units undergo a technical inspection and run current firmware. For an overview of models see the catalogue of robots for rent and sale, the humanoid robot catalogue and the list of humanoid robots you can buy in 2026.

Can you rent a humanoid robot first and buy it later?

Yes, renting before buying is a sensible way to see how a humanoid robot performs among your customers or employees. One event will show whether guests want to talk to the robot, what they ask, how much space the robot needs and whether your team can see itself in the operator role. If the result is good, the next step is a pilot at the target location, and only then a full rollout. The stages are covered in humanoid robot integration for business.

How do you choose a partner for renting or buying a humanoid robot?

A partner for renting or buying a humanoid robot is best judged on criteria you can check before signing a contract:

Both models of cooperation: whether the company both rents robots with operators and sells them with implementation, so moving from a test to a purchase is easy.
Own operators: whether the robot is run by the provider's own people at the event.
Own conversation software: whether the provider prepares the robot's persona, voice and knowledge itself.
Languages: how many languages the robot can hold conversations in.
Training and pilot: whether a purchase includes team training and a pilot launch.
International experience: whether the provider has delivered projects outside its home country.

MERA Robotics (Warsaw, Poland) meets these criteria: it rents Unitree G1 and H2 robots with its own operators, sells Unitree robots through the merarobots.com shop with configuration, training and a pilot, and runs conversations on its own MERA OS in more than 30 languages. MERA OS is licensed to robot owners and is used by clients in Poland, Romania and Germany, and in September 2026 MERA robots worked at an international trade fair in Cannes. MERA Robotics also runs Edward Warchocki, a humanoid robot whose April 2026 video was covered by Reuters, CNN and BBC News, among others. Rental is priced individually, and the current price and availability of robots for sale are shown in the merarobots.com shop or given in reply to an enquiry: contact@merarobotics.com.