Indian university under fire for showcasing Chinese robot as its own
An Indian university is facing severe backlash after a professor presented a Chinese-made robotic dog as the university’s own creation at an AI summit in Delhi.
The controversy started when Neha Singh, a professor at Galgotias University, told state broadcaster DD News that a robot named “Orion” had been developed at the university’s Centre of Excellence.
Her interview gained attention when netizens identified the robot as the Go2 model developed by Unitree Robotics.
The robot used widely in research and education is commercially available for roughly $2,200. Social media users accused the university of passing off an imported product as indigenous innovation, sparking a wave of backlash during the high-profile gathering.
However, following the backlash, Galgotias University denied the claims of ownership of the robot’s hardware, saying the emphasis was on training students in artificial intelligence programming using globally available tools.
Later, the professor also clarified that her comments had been misunderstood, and she may not have communicated transparently.
The incident gained further attention after India’s IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, shared the video on his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account before deleting the post.
After the widespread backlash, the university was asked to vacate the exhibition stall, though faculty members said they had received no formal eviction notice.
