Customized robot rental business heats up in China's capital city

The customized robot rental business is gaining momentum in Beijing, capital of China, where demand has pushed order books well into the period following the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on February 17 this year.

Gao Li, head of a robot leasing company in the city, said his team is fulfilling a wide range of rental orders. The robots are being deployed for tasks including restaurant food delivery, serving as tour guides at scenic spots, and even performing street dance routines at events.

"This is a full-sized humanoid robot capable of writing and performing even very delicate movements. Here is one of our most diligent robots. As you can see, many parts of its body already show signs of wear. It has been sent out on different assignments every day since it arrived, and on its busiest day it completed eight tasks in a single day," Gao said.

As the market demand rises while robot prices drop, Gao said he has expanded his robot team to 23 humanoid robots, 12 robot dogs and thousands of drones. He said the company has moved to a new office area twice as large as the previous one.

"Almost all our staff members are stationed at client sites, working intensively every day. Our order book is already fully scheduled through the Lantern Festival, the 15th day in the first lunar month, well after the Spring Festival," He said.

Gao said January saw a notable rise of customized robot rental demands compared to the previous months, accounting for 60 percent of total orders.

"As the Spring Festival approaches, orders for private events have increased, such as birthday banquets, private gatherings and tea parties. I think robots will increasingly become part of everyday life of ordinary people," he said.

Data showed that in 2025, more than 1,500 robot rental companies were established across China, a year-on-year increase of 48.1 percent compared to the previous year.

As robot supply continues to rise and daily rental prices for individual robots are declining, more and more robots are making their way into ordinary households, according to experts.

Customized robot rental business heats up in China's capital city

Customized robot rental business heats up in China's capital city

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO