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The university faced public ridicule and government expulsion following allegations of misrepresenting an imported Chinese robot as an indigenous innovation
Netizens and tech enthusiasts quickly identified ‘Orion’ as the Unitree Go2, a mass-produced bionic robot manufactured by the Chinese firm Unitree Robotics. File pic/Facebook
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, at Delhi’s iconic Bharat Mandapam, was designed to be a grand stage for India’s burgeoning domestic technology sector. However, the second day of the event was overshadowed by a significant controversy involving Galgotias University, which faced public ridicule and government expulsion following allegations of misrepresenting an imported Chinese robot as an indigenous innovation.
The Spark: ‘Orion’ vs the Unitree Go2
The fiasco began when a video from the summit floor went viral, featuring Professor Neha Singh, a communications faculty member at the university. In the footage, Singh demonstrated a quadruped robotic dog named “Orion”, explicitly stating to media outlets like DD News that the machine had been “developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University.” She further framed the exhibit as part of a massive Rs 350 crore investment by the institution into artificial intelligence.
However, the “breakthrough” was short-lived. Netizens and tech enthusiasts quickly identified “Orion” as the Unitree Go2, a mass-produced bionic robot manufactured by the Chinese firm Unitree Robotics. The device is commercially available globally—and via distributors in India—for approximately Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh. The discrepancy between the claim of in-house development and the reality of a purchased product led to an immediate social media firestorm, eventually resulting in an X (formerly Twitter) Community Note flagging the university’s claims as misleading.
Government Intervention and Expulsion
The controversy quickly moved from social media to the corridors of power. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) took a stern view of the incident, with Secretary S Krishnan stating that the summit was a platform for “genuine and actual work”, not a marketplace for misrepresented technology. He emphasised that plagiarism and misinformation would not be tolerated at an event intended to showcase national pride.
By Wednesday, the situation escalated:
Power and Barricades: Reports indicated that the power supply to the Galgotias pavilion was cut off, and organisers placed barricades around the stall.
Eviction: The university was formally asked to vacate its exhibition space. By Wednesday afternoon, faculty and staff were seen removing their belongings as the pavilion stood empty.
Political Fallout: The opposition seized the moment, with leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge labelling the summit a “PR spectacle” and accusing the government of allowing Chinese products to be passed off as Indian innovation.
The University’s Defence
In the aftermath, Galgotias University issued a series of shifting clarifications. Their final stance blamed the fiasco on “unauthorised” and “ill-informed” comments made by Professor Neha Singh, citing her “enthusiasm for being on camera” as the cause for the factual errors. The institution maintained that they never intended to claim they manufactured the robot, describing it instead as a “walking classroom” purchased to help students learn AI programming.
Despite these apologies, the incident has left a mark on the summit’s reputation, serving as a cautionary tale about the pressures of “Viksit Bharat” branding and the necessity for rigorous verification in the age of viral misinformation.
February 18, 2026, 19:53 IST
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