In a surprising turn of events, Galgotias University has been asked to vacate the expo area of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The incident unfolded when a viral video revealed that the university's representatives were showcasing a Chinese-made robotic dog as a product developed by their Centre of Excellence. The robot in question, the Unitree Go2, is a commercially available model from the Chinese company Unitree, sold in India for a price range of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. The video, which quickly spread on social media, captured a university representative explaining the robot's features during a media interaction at the summit. She stated that the Galgotias University Centre of Excellence had developed the robot, named "Orion." However, social media users were quick to identify the machine as the imported Unitree Go2, sparking accusations that the university was passing off foreign technology as an Indian innovation. In response, Galgotias University issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that the robotic dog was procured from Unitree and was being used purely as a learning tool for students. The university insisted it had never claimed to have built the device, despite its staff's on-camera claims. The university's communications professor, Neha, who had earlier made the claim that the robot dogs were a Galgotias innovation, later described the criticism as part of a "propaganda campaign" against the university. However, a Community Note on X pointed out that the university had named the robot "Orion" and that its representatives had explicitly claimed it was developed by their team. The note also stated that the claim of never having presented the robodog as their own was incorrect and misleading. The incident has sparked a debate about the importance of acknowledging foreign technology and the potential consequences of passing it off as one's own. It also raises questions about the role of universities in promoting innovation and the responsibility of institutions to ensure the accuracy of their claims. The controversy has invited discussion and debate, with many questioning the university's actions and the potential impact on the reputation of Indian institutions.
