Galgotias University has denied alleged claims that it tried to pass off a Chinese manufactured robotic dog as its own innovation during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi. The controversy began after the university displayed a robotic dog named Orion at the summit expo.
Soon after videos from the event surfaced online, social media users claimed that the robot closely resembled the Unitree Go2, a commercially available quadruped robot made by China-based Unitree Robotics. Critics said that the university was presenting imported technology as an in-house development.
Reports also said that the university was asked to vacate its stall at the summit following the controversy. However, Professor Aishwarya from Galgotias University denied these allegations. She said the reports were misinterpreted and that no official direction was given to the team to leave the exhibition area.
“The objective at the summit is to present innovation, academic research and collaborative development within the AI ecosystem,” she said. She dismissed suggestions that there was any instruction from authorities to exit the expo space and maintained that the team remained focused on showcasing student research initiatives.
Responding separately, Professor Neha Singh said that the issue arose due to a communication gap and not any alleged attempt to mislead. “Regarding the robot dog, we cannot claim that we manufactured it. I have told everyone that we introduced it to our students to inspire them to create something better on their own,” she said.
The university also released an official statement saying it never claimed to have built the robotic dog on campus. It clarified that the robot was purchased and used purely as a demonstration and learning tool to expose students to advanced global technologies.
Singh added that the university’s broader mission is to provide students access to cutting edge AI tools and encourage innovation. “Our university contributes to building future leaders by providing access to advanced technologies in the field of AI, and it will continue to do so,” she said.
On the reports that government authorities had allegedly asked the university to vacate the stall, Singh said she had no information about any such directive. “What I know is that today we are all present here,” she said.
