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India uni staff claims China-made robot dog as uni's own, told to leave AI summit
The Indian government said that it had wanted "only genuine work" to be displayed.
February 19, 2026, 06:36 PM
A university in India was asked to leave an Artificial Intelligence (AI) exhibition in New Delhi on Feb. 18 after one of their staff reportedly passed off a robot dog as the university's own invention.
According to The Indian Express, Galgotias University faculty member Neha Singh told reporters at the India AI Impact Expo that the school's Centre of Excellence had developed the robot, named Orion.
Social media users later identified the robot as Unitree Go2, produced by China-based Unitree Robotics.
Robot identified by social media users, faculty members reject claims of inauthenticity
The international summit, which runs from Feb. 16 to 21, also showcases local innovations at an exhibition as part of its programme offerings.
Singh had earlier presented Orion at Galgotias University's pavilion as its original work.
The robot was swiftly identified by social media users as the Unitree Go2, which is produced by Unitree Robotics and sold commercially for at least US$1,600 (S$2,027).
Screenshot via Unitree website.
Following a backlash, Singh said that her remarks had been misconstrued, and that the university "did not change the branding".
"So how can we claim that we have manufactured this?" She added.
Ashwarya Srivastava, another faculty member, also said that the university did not develop the robot and that it was purchased as an AI investment for students to study and experiment with.
Government wants "only genuine work" to be displayed
India Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan said that the government wanted "only genuine work" to be displayed.
He added that the exhibition is "meant for demonstration", noting that while such events do not involve formal certification processes, they are not platforms for misleading claims.
Galgotias University was instructed to vacate its pavilion, with its electricity cut and barricades erected.
University apologises
In light of the incident, Galgotias University has issued an apology "for the confusion" in an X post on Feb. 18.
The university added that a representative who had manned the pavilion was "ill-informed" and that she was "not aware of the technical origins of the product".
She was also "not authorised" to respond to the media but ended up giving "factually incorrect information in her enthusiasm of being on camera".
"We request your kind understanding as there was no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation. Galgotias University remains firmly committed to academic integrity, transparency, and responsible representation of our work. Understanding the organisers sentiment we have vacated the premises."
— Galgotias University (@GalgotiasGU) February 18, 2026
Top photos via Galgotias University/Facebook
