In a humiliating episode, Greater Noida-based Galgotias University landed in a soup after displaying a robotic dog purchased from China as their own at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The university presented the Chinese robot ‘Unitree Go2’ as its own invention, ‘Orion at the high-profile summit.
The incident came to light after Galgotia's professor Neha Singh was caught on camera claiming that the drones and robodog were their in-house creation. However, hawk-eyed netizens soon realised the lie and exposed the truth about the robotic dog, which they found out was a mass-produced, cheap robot priced globally for $2,800 (roughly Rs 2.3 lakh).
They accused the university of tarnishing India's image internationally. Channels like DD News, which highlighted the incident, pulled down their posts.
After social media revealed the truth, Galgotias University issued an official statement on the social media platform X. The university stated that it never claimed to have created the robot, which was purchased from Unitree and was used by the students to “test its limits and in the process, expand their knowledge.”
The university claimed that they bring in cutting-edge technology from countries like the US, China, and Singapore to provide students with hands-on experience so as “to inspire students to keep pace with the world in terms of technology, not just to showcase machines.”
However, the backlash was so severe that Galgotias University was asked by the authorities to vacate the AI Impact Summit, government sources told reporters.
The news also made its way into Chinese local media, which highlighted the “embarrassing attempt at plagiarism”.
The Unitree Go2 is an advanced quadruped robot capable of traversing obstacles, conducting surveillance, inspection, and operating in dangerous terrain. The robot is quite popular in China and is also used for military and industrial purposes.