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Unitree G1 — At a Glance
- 127 cm tall | 35 kg
- 41 degrees of freedom
- Five-finger dexterous hands
- 2-hour operational battery
- Onboard NVIDIA Jetson Orin
- Available to rent from $299/day
What Robot Rental for Events Includes
What You Should Know
- Every rental includes the Unitree G1: 127 cm tall, 35 kg, 41 degrees of freedom, two-hour battery
- ZMP Protection covers accidental damage during Approved Use on every booking
- Delivery and collection are included in both service tiers
- Full-Service Event adds a ZMProbots-certified operator dispatched to your venue
- Self-Service Rental includes Pro Setup & Training as an optional paid add-on
Every ZMProbots rental ships with the same core hardware package. The Unitree G1 arrives in a padded hard case, calibrated and tested. The kit includes the robot, two battery packs, a charging station, and a tablet controller pre-loaded with ZMProbots’ approved motion library. You are not renting a prototype — you are renting production-grade hardware that has run live at events.
ZMP Protection
ZMP Protection is included on every rental. It covers accidental damage during Approved Use — drops, surface collisions, crowd contact. It is structured damage coverage: you are not exposed to an open-ended repair bill if something goes wrong on-site. The full terms are on the robot rental for events page.
What Is Not Included
Custom choreography beyond the standard motion library, branded wrapping, and content creation are not part of the base rental. These are available through the ZMProbots partner network. If your event requires scripted interaction loops or custom demo sequences, build that into your lead time — not the day of delivery.
The full operations picture — from booking through teardown — is in the G1 rental operations playbook.
Two Service Tiers: Self-Service vs Full-Service
The tier question is the most important decision in a robot rental for events. Get it wrong and you either overpay for a managed service you could have run yourself, or you underpay and arrive on-site with no one who knows how to run the robot.
Self-Service Rental
Designed for teams with robotics capability — R&D labs, tech companies, universities, and production teams that have trained with the G1 before. You handle operation; ZMProbots handles delivery, collection, and base damage cover. Duration is 3–30 days, making it the right tier for multi-day trade shows, extended content shoots, or research programs. Pricing starts from $299/day on the humanoid robot rental page.
Full-Service Event
Designed for event agencies, marketing teams, and brands that have never operated a humanoid robot. A ZMProbots-certified operator travels to your venue, sets up the robot, runs it throughout the event, and handles teardown. You brief the operator on your event flow; the operator executes. Duration is typically 1–3 event days. Pricing is event-specific — submit a request with your event date, location, and expected hours per day. This tier runs the vast majority of brand activations, product launches, and convention appearances.
How to Choose
The deciding question is simple: does your team have someone who has run a humanoid robot before? If yes, Self-Service may work. If no — or if the event is high-stakes enough that you cannot afford a learning curve on the day — book Full-Service Event. Most event teams book Full-Service the first time and Self-Service on repeat bookings once they have run the robot with an operator present.
Pricing: What Drives the Day Rate
Robot rental pricing for events is not a flat per-day number. It varies based on four factors. Understanding them helps you scope the budget before you submit a request.
Duration
Multi-day bookings on Self-Service Rental are cheaper per day than single-day bookings. The logistics cost of delivery and collection is fixed regardless of duration — spreading it across more days brings the effective day rate down. For trade shows running 3–5 days, the per-day cost of Self-Service Rental is meaningfully lower than booking day-by-day.
Service Tier
Full-Service Event includes an operator’s time, travel, and on-site support. That changes the cost structure relative to Self-Service. For events where the operator is essential — single-day activations, high-traffic trade show booths — Full-Service is the right call. For teams that can self-operate over a long stretch, Self-Service is more efficient. Industry benchmarks on event tech budgets from Exhibitor Magazine suggest experiential tech typically runs 15–20% of total show spend.
Region
Delivery logistics differ by geography. US and Canada bookings follow the base pricing model. UK and Europe bookings factor in international freight handling, VAT treatment, and longer lead times. See the UK vs US robot hire guide for region-specific logistics detail.
Add-Ons
Both tiers offer optional add-ons: Pro Setup & Training for teams new to the robot, an Extra Battery for extended runtime beyond the standard two-hour pack, and the Setup Gantry for uneven or outdoor terrain. None are required; all are listed on the booking page.
Trade Shows and Expos
Trade shows are the most common event type in the ZMProbots fleet. The G1 at a trade show booth does what no static display does: it moves, gestures, and pulls foot traffic from three aisles away. Attendees stop, photograph, and share — extending the booth’s organic reach well beyond the floor plan.
Typical Trade Show Setup
Most trade show bookings run 3–5 days at show hours of 8–10 hours per day. The robot runs in demo loops: greeting visitors, performing scripted gestures, and transitioning to idle poses during low-traffic periods to conserve battery. With the Extra Battery add-on, full-day coverage without mid-day charging breaks is achievable. See the trade show robot rental guide for 10 real booth setups we have run.
Tier Recommendation for Trade Shows
Multi-day trade shows are the primary Self-Service Rental use case. A team that has trained with the robot — or taken the Pro Setup & Training add-on — can operate it independently across the full show. Agencies booking for a client booth with no in-house robotics experience should use Full-Service Event for at least the first booking. After one operator-run event, most teams are comfortable moving to Self-Service.
What We See at Trade Shows
Booths with a running humanoid robot generate significantly longer visitor dwell times compared to adjacent static displays. The interaction loop — wave, gesture, demo sequence, pose — creates a natural photo moment that most visitors share. For a breakdown of how exhibition bookings work in practice, the robot hire for exhibitions guide covers space requirements, power, and operator briefing.
Brand Activations and Product Launches
Brand activations and product launches are almost always Full-Service Event bookings. The timeline is tight, the production value is high, and there is no room for operator inexperience on the day. The robot is typically integrated into a broader brand narrative — positioned as the hero of the reveal, as part of a live demo sequence, or as a roaming interactive element in the venue.
How Product Launch Activations Run
The ZMProbots operator receives an event brief about a week before the event. The brief covers the venue layout, the robot’s role in the event flow, any custom gesture sequences needed (loaded before arrival), and the escalation plan if the robot needs to pause. On the day, the operator handles setup, runtime, and audience management around the robot. Your production team handles everything else.
Brand Activations
Retail pop-ups, grand openings, in-store activations, and VIP events all follow a similar pattern. The robot anchors a specific zone — typically 3×3 meters minimum — and runs a defined interaction loop. Guests initiate; the robot responds. The interaction is visual, safe, and shareable. Ameca and AgiBot are alternatives some clients consider, but neither is currently bookable at the same logistics maturity level as the G1 via ZMProbots for US, Canada, UK, and Europe events.
Lead Time for Activations
Brand activations and launches need 3–6 weeks lead time. The robot must be reserved, the operator briefed, and custom motion sequences tested before the event date. Last-minute activation bookings are possible in some regions but carry express logistics charges. Book early. See how brand activations work for real event examples.
How Booking Works
Booking a robot rental for events follows the same flow regardless of tier. The main variable is how much notice you give and how complex the event brief is.
Step 1: Submit a Request
Fill in the event date, location, duration, and service tier on the request form. For Full-Service Event bookings, include the event type, estimated hours per day, and any special venue requirements (outdoor, elevated stage, restricted access). You do not need a detailed brief at this stage.
Step 2: Quote and Availability Confirmation
ZMProbots confirms robot and (for Full-Service) operator availability for your date. You receive a quote itemizing the base rental, any add-ons, and logistics. For Self-Service Rental, the quote matches the published tier pricing. For Full-Service Event, the quote reflects your specific event parameters.
Step 3: Booking Confirmation
A Refundable Deposit secures the booking. The deposit is fully refundable on a clean return of the equipment. The Robot Rental Agreement covers the usage terms, Approved Use definition, and ZMP Protection parameters. The agreement is standard across all bookings.
Step 4: Delivery and Event Day
The robot ships to your venue ahead of the event date. For Full-Service Event, the operator arrives separately on event day for setup. For Self-Service Rental with Pro Setup & Training, a trainer arrives on delivery day for a hands-on orientation. On event day, you run the robot; ZMProbots is available by phone if questions arise.
For a complete operator walkthrough of what a ZMProbots event day looks like, see the humanoid robot for events briefing.
People Also Ask
How much does it cost to rent a robot for an event?
Self-Service Rental starts from $299/day for multi-day bookings. Full-Service Event pricing is submitted on request and reflects the event duration, location, and operator requirements. Both tiers include the robot, ZMP Protection, and delivery.
What type of events can I rent a humanoid robot for?
Trade shows, product launches, brand activations, corporate conferences, retail pop-ups, grand openings, film and TV production, and VIP events. The G1 runs at any indoor venue with standard power access. Outdoor and elevated-stage deployments are possible with the Setup Gantry add-on and a pre-event site assessment.
Do I need a trained operator to rent a humanoid robot?
Not if you book Full-Service Event — ZMProbots provides the operator. Self-Service Rental requires your team to operate the robot. If your team is not trained, the Pro Setup & Training add-on covers a full orientation on delivery day. Research from IEEE Spectrum on robotics adoption in commercial settings consistently highlights operator availability as the top barrier to non-research deployments.
How far in advance do I need to book?
3–6 weeks is the recommended lead time for most events. Trade show bookings with custom motion sequences need the longer end of that range. Last-minute bookings are possible in some regions but may carry express logistics charges.
What happens if the robot breaks during my event?
ZMP Protection covers accidental damage during Approved Use. The operator (Full-Service) or ZMProbots phone support (Self-Service) handles field recovery. If the unit cannot be restored within an hour, ZMProbots dispatches a replacement from the nearest regional hub where available.
Can I rent a robot for events outside the US?
Yes. ZMProbots covers the US, Canada, UK, and Europe. Lead times for UK and Europe bookings are longer due to freight logistics and customs handling. Submit a request with your specific country and event date for availability confirmation.
The Bottom Line
Robot rental for events is no longer experimental. The G1 is a field-tested robot with a clear service structure, damage coverage, and an operator option for teams that do not want to handle the hardware themselves.
The right tier depends on one thing: whether you have an operator on your team. If you do — or you are willing to train — Self-Service Rental is the efficient path. If you do not, Full-Service Event gives you everything you need without the learning curve. Most event teams book Full-Service first, then move to Self-Service once they have seen the robot in action at an event.
The request form, full tier comparison, and what is included in each tier are all on the ZMProbots events page. Booking starts with a single request.
