Robots as a service, or RaaS, means you rent a working robot for a monthly fee instead of buying it. The company behind the service owns the robot, installs it, keeps it running and carries the risk that it goes out of date. You pay for the work it does in your business, not for the machine. ovibot is robots as a service for humanoid robots, so read this guide with that in mind.
The idea comes from software. Few businesses buy software outright any more; they pay a monthly fee and get updates, support and hosting with it. Robots as a service applies the same model to machines: the robot stays the provider's, and you pay to use it.
A good RaaS agreement sells you a result, not a machine. The robot arrives installed, checked and trained for your job, and if it stops working, getting it working again is the provider's problem. Some providers bill by the hour or by the task; for a store that runs the same shift every night, a fixed monthly fee is simpler to plan.
"As a service" only means something if the fee covers what it takes to keep the robot working. With ovibot, one monthly fee covers:
From €3.958 a month for a Unitree G1 EDU Plus. Prices are illustrative until contracts are signed. See every price and the arithmetic.
| Buy | Lease one machine | Robots as a service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the robot | You | The lessor, until you buy it out | The provider |
| What you pay for | The machine | The machine, spread over the term | A working robot, all in |
| Service and repairs | Yours to arrange | Often extra | In the fee |
| Safety paperwork | Yours | Usually yours | The provider's, if the contract says so |
| When a better model ships | Sell the old one, if you can | Usually locked in | Swap, if the contract allows it |
The full comparison, with when buying is the better choice, is in rent, lease or buy a humanoid robot.
A new humanoid model ships roughly every twelve months, and nobody knows yet what a used humanoid is worth. Buying one today puts that risk on you. Renting it as a service moves it to the provider, who can move the robot on to another job when you swap.
The paperwork points the same way. From 20 January 2027 the EU Machinery Regulation applies to every new robot installation: someone has to check it and sign for it, and sign again when the robot or its software changes (Regulation (EU) 2023/1230). A humanoid that learns new jobs changes often. On a RaaS contract that signature can be the provider's job. More on the 2027 rules.
Not every offer called robots as a service is all in. Before you sign, ask:
Our answers are on how it works and your data.
One visit, and a straight answer against your own staff schedule.
Robots as a service: renting a working robot for a recurring fee instead of buying it.
No. A lease spreads the price of one machine over a term, and service and paperwork are often outside it. Robots as a service sells you a working robot: install, service, repairs and, with ovibot, the safety paperwork are in the fee.
With ovibot from €3.958 a month for a Unitree G1 EDU Plus, all in: the humanoid, install, the safety paperwork, service, insurance, the app, 12 remote-operator hours a month and a 48-hour replacement. Prices are illustrative until contracts are signed.
Yes. ovibot rents humanoid robots from any maker that ships in the EU, starting with stores in Denmark, on a 36-month agreement with a swap at month 12 or 24.
Yes. At month 36 you can hand it back, renew, or buy it at a price printed in the contract on day one.
Buy, lease or rent a humanoid robot for a store? What each one leaves with you in risk, paperwork and flexibility, and when buying makes sense.
Read →A humanoid integrator picks, installs, certifies and runs humanoid robots, and signs for them again when they change. What the role covers.
Read →We come and watch a shift, then tell you which job would pay for itself first. If none would, we say so.
No sales deck. No hard sell.