Videos from the summit appeared to show university representatives claiming the imported Unitree Go2 was developed by their Centre of Excellence.
The university later clarified that the robot was purchased for academic learning purposes and not built on campus, calling the backlash misleading.
Despite reports of being asked to vacate the expo area, a faculty member said no official communication had been received regarding removal from the summit.
Galgotias University has reportedly been asked to vacate its stall at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi after controversy erupted over a robotic dog showcased at the expo. As per the reports, the action was taken after videos circulated online appearing to show university representatives presenting a commercially available Chinese robot as an in-house innovation.
SurveySocial media users identified the robot on display as the Unitree Go2, a quadruped machine manufactured by China-based Unitree Robotics and sold in India for between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. At the summit, however, the device was introduced as “Orion” and described on camera as a product developed by the university’s Centre of Excellence.
The videos from the event showed a university representative explaining the robot’s capabilities to the media while claiming that it was developed in-house. In another interaction, a faculty member claimed that the machine was built by the university’s team. These videos quickly went viral online, with users claiming that imported hardware was being portrayed as an Indian innovation.
In a statement published on X, the university stated that the robotic dog was purchased from Unitree as part of its efforts to expose students to emerging technologies. It maintained that the machine was intended as a teaching tool and experimentation platform, rather than a product developed on campus. The statement stated that, while the robot was being used for academic research, the institution did not design or manufacture it.
The university later described the backlash as a concerted effort to tarnish its image. However, the post drew a Community Note on X, which pointed out inconsistencies between the university’s clarification and previous on-camera claims by its representatives, such as renaming the robot “Orion.”
One faculty member who had previously described the robot as a university development later suggested that there may have been a communication breakdown during media interactions, stating that she is from the School of Management and is not directly involved in AI development. She explained that the robot had been brought to the expo for demonstration purposes.
Meanwhile, another university professor stated that they had not received any official communication about being asked to vacate the summit premises, despite reports to the contrary.
Follow Us
Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
