The Core Trade-off
Buying gives you full ownership, customization freedom, and long-term cost efficiency. Leasing provides lower upfront cost, flexibility to switch platforms, and reduced maintenance burden. The right choice depends on your timeline, budget certainty, and how much the robot landscape will change during your project.
When Leasing Makes Sense
Short-term projects (3–6 months), evaluation periods before committing, seasonal demand, demo/showcase events, and teams exploring multiple platforms. SVRC offers daily and weekly rentals for Unitree Go2, Unitree G1, and Booster K1 from our Palo Alto facility.
- Conference demos and investor showcases
- University course labs (semester rental)
- Pilot programs before fleet purchase
- Temporary capacity for data collection sprints
When Buying Makes Sense
Long-term research programs (1+ years), heavy customization needs, proprietary data collection on a specific platform, and cost optimization over 2+ year horizons. SVRC sells OpenArm, Franka Panda, Unitree platforms, and humanoid robots with same-day pickup or tiered delivery options.