New Delhi: Galgotias University has been reportedly asked to vacate its expo area at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi following controversy over a robotic dog displayed by the university.
The Greater Noida-based institution came under scrutiny after a viral video showed its representatives presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog as a product developed by the university’s Centre of Excellence.
The robot, identified as the Unitree Go2, is a commercially available model from Chinese robotics company Unitree, sold in India for Rs 2–3 lakh. At the summit, the machine was showcased under the name “Orion”, with a university representative explaining its features during a media interaction and claiming it had been developed in-house. Another video clip captured a university professor making a similar claim.
Social media users quickly pointed out that the robot was imported and criticised the university for allegedly passing off foreign technology as an Indian innovation.
— Galgotias University (@GalgotiasGU) February 17, 2026
In response, Galgotias University issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), clarifying that the robotic dog had been procured from Unitree and was being used purely as a learning tool for students. The university maintained that it had never claimed to have developed the device itself. The statement read:
Galgotias University Clarifies Robodog Is a Learning Tool, Not Their Own Innovation
“The recently acquired robodog from Unitree is one such step in that journey. It is not merely a machine on display; it is a classroom in motion. Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits, and expanding their own knowledge. Let us be clear: Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we ever claimed to. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies right here in Bharat.”
A subsequent statement from the university described the criticism as part of a “propaganda campaign”, but the post was flagged with a Community Note on X. The note stated that the claim of never presenting the robot as its own was misleading, highlighting that the robot had been named “Orion” and explicitly claimed by university representatives as their development.
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Galgotias communications professor Neha explained the situation, saying:
“It might be that I could not convey well what I wanted to say, or it was misunderstood. I am a faculty member in communications, not in AI. The robot was brought here purely for demonstration purposes.”
When asked about reports of the university being asked to vacate the expo, Professor Aishwarya Shrivastava said, “As of now, we have no such information.”