Galgotias University Faces Backlash After Passing Off Commercial Robot Dog as In-House Invention at India AI Impact Summit 2026

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, a high-profile event held at the Bharat Mandapam complex in New Delhi from February 16 to 21, 2026, was recently overshadowed by a controversial robotics demonstration. Galgotias University took center stage to showcase "Orion," a four-legged robot that the institution presented as a proprietary breakthrough from its Center of Excellence. What was intended to be a display of academic innovation quickly turned into a public relations crisis as the authenticity of the project came under intense scrutiny from the tech community.

Technical experts and eagle-eyed observers at the summit were quick to identify "Orion" not as a unique invention, but as the Unitree Go2, a commercially available model manufactured by the Chinese firm Unitree Robotics. This revelation sparked immediate concerns regarding the integrity of technological exhibits at national forums designed to highlight indigenous Indian advancements in artificial intelligence. The controversy intensified when video footage surfaced on social media showing Communications Professor Neha Singh describing the robot as an original university development, a claim that was even featured in a segment by the state broadcaster DD News.

As public outcry grew, the summit organizers took decisive action by ordering Galgotias University to vacate its exhibition booth immediately. The incident reached the highest levels of government, prompting IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to delete a previously shared video of the robot from his official social media accounts. S. Krishnan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), issued a stern statement emphasizing that the government would not tolerate the display of products that are not the genuine work of the exhibitors, noting that misinformation has no place in such prestigious international forums.

Abhishek Singh, the Additional Secretary of MeitY and CEO of the India AI Mission, explicitly characterized the university's actions as "misleading" the international community regarding the robot's authorship. In the wake of the scandal, Galgotias University issued a formal apology, attributing the claims to an "under-informed" representative who acted with excessive enthusiasm. The institution clarified that the robot was actually purchased as an educational tool rather than built from the ground up, while also highlighting their significant investment of approximately 350 crore INR into the broader AI ecosystem to demonstrate their commitment to the field.

Nitin Kumar Gaur, the university's Registrar, attempted to mitigate the damage by distinguishing between the act of "developing" a product and "working on the development" of research based on an existing platform. He argued that the university was conducting academic studies using the purchased device as a foundation. However, this defense was challenged by a Community Note on X (formerly Twitter), which pointed out that the university had indeed made explicit claims of original development during the event. The Unitree Go2, which reportedly retails in India for between 2 and 3 lakh INR, is widely recognized as a versatile platform for research and education rather than a proprietary prototype.

This incident has garnered international media attention, potentially casting a shadow over India's ambitious AI goals, particularly following the announcement of over $100 billion in projected investments during the summit. Opposition leaders seized the opportunity to label the event an "unorganized PR spectacle," further fueling the political debate surrounding the summit's management. Additionally, questions have been raised about another university exhibit—a "football drone"—which is also suspected of being a rebranded commercial product. This case serves as a stark reminder of the tension between the desire to project technological prowess and the necessity for rigorous transparency at public exhibitions.