Zhiyuan's A3 humanoid robot enters the Qingtianzu leasing platform at launch, making the leasing model a gateway for new product commercialization and accelerating market deployment and scenario validation.
The landscape of the robot rental market is being reshaped by Qingtianzu.
On April 9, Zhiyuan's new humanoid robot, the A3, made its official debut at the "Qingtianzu City Partner Ecosystem Conference," held in Shenzhen from April 8 to 10. Meanwhile, Qingtianzu stated that the first batch of A3 units is expected to begin shipping to contracted Qingtianzu city partners starting in April. These units will also become the first batch of A3 robots to be delivered at scale in the industry.
It is understood that following the Shenzhen event, Qingtianzu will hold a second "Qingtianzu City Partner Ecosystem Conference" in Shanghai from April 17 to 19, continuing to advance its city partner network and the deployment of robot applications in real-world scenarios.
When a new model enters a rental platform system right after its debut, it is clear that Qingtianzu is no longer just in the business of "renting machines." It now has the opportunity to become a key gateway for new robot products entering the real market. This also marks the first time in the industry that a rental platform has taken on the market deployment of a new model at its launch stage, signaling that the platform's role in the industry chain is extending from a traditional channel to a commercial launchpad for new products.
Reshaping the Rental Landscape: Qingtianzu Becomes the Launchpad for New Robot Debuts
At the conference, while Zhiyuan's new humanoid robot A3 was unveiled on site, the first batch of units is also planned to be delivered to Qingtianzu's contracted city partners and enter the rental platform system. This means that the new model will enter the real market through the rental platform right after its launch, exploring more application scenarios.
"With Qingtianzu's platform network and delivery capabilities, new models can enter various commercial scenarios faster, generating market feedback and building case studies through real-world application," said Li Yiyan, CEO of Qingtianzu. "For city partners, this also means they can get involved in the practical deployment of robot applications earlier."
Industry insiders note that rental platforms are not only fulfilling the function of equipment circulation but are gradually becoming an important channel connecting robot products with real-world scenarios. Through the platform system, new models can reach customers faster, complete early-stage scenario validation, market education, and application exploration, accumulating experience for subsequent large-scale promotion.
This logic has already been validated in the practices of Qingtianzu's city partners. Ye Xu, a partner in Wuhan who spent his career in real estate engineering, had never even seen a humanoid robot before becoming one of Qingtianzu's first partners. But after signing, within just a few days of two Lingxi X2 humanoid robots and two robot dogs arriving at his office, intent orders exceeded ten thousand yuan. "Many customers initially had no idea what robots could do, but as soon as they saw the Lingxi X2 greeting, interacting, and dancing on site, they immediately became interested," Ye Xu said. The robots themselves are helping partners reach users and educate the market.
Zhang Gang, a partner in Jinan, secured a 30,000-yuan order the day after signing. His assessment: "In the age of robots, it's also the age of robot rentals." In his view, the Lingxi X2 allows customers to directly experience the commercial value of robots. In a county town with a population of under 200,000, he estimates that a single robot will attract at least 10,000 visitors over five days during the May Day holiday—which is already the best market education possible.
In March of this year, Qingtianzu held its first city partner strategy conference, attracting over 20,000 registrants and locking in initial deployment demand for nearly 1,000 robots. To date, Qingtianzu's first batch of contracted city partners has successfully covered more than 60 cities nationwide.
From "Transaction Platform" to "Ecosystem Infrastructure": Redefining the Commercialization Path
In the past, rental platforms typically handled robot products that had been on the market for some time and had relatively mature application models. Manufacturers usually prioritized their own sales channels to drive new product deployment. Now, with the first batch of production units of Zhiyuan's A3 being delivered to Qingtianzu's city partner network, a new path for new products entering the market has emerged: through the rental platform, they can reach real application scenarios faster.
For robot companies, direct sales often face challenges such as high procurement thresholds and long customer decision cycles. Through the rental model, new products can enter the market with lower barriers, allowing more customers to try them first and gradually develop application cases and market feedback in real scenarios.
In this process, Qingtianzu is taking on not just equipment rental itself, but also the deployment of scenarios, customer reach, and application validation after new products enter the market. Through its city partner network, the platform connects robot manufacturers, scenario demands, and service capabilities.
As more new products enter the market through the platform, the role of rental platforms in the robot industry chain is gradually expanding. From being a product distribution channel to becoming a service network connecting manufacturers with real application scenarios, Qingtianzu is exploring a path that allows robots to enter the market faster and with lower barriers.
With Zhiyuan's new humanoid robot A3 about to ship in volume, Qingtianzu's partner network is set to expand to a new level. As Wuhan partner Ye Xu put it: "When you're at the tipping point of an era, you don't need to be exceptionally smart or resource-rich. If you're standing at that moment in time, you have a chance." Jinan partner Zhang Gang has proven through action: choose the right track, and the market will answer your judgment with orders.