Galgotias University terms Chinese robot claim a communication error, claims worked on its development

Nitin Kumar Gaur, Galgotias University Registrar said the issue was a case of 'jumble of two words -- develop and development'.

• Galgotias University admits robot dog was bought, not developed.
• Officials blame confusion on misuse of "develop" vs "development".
• No official order received to vacate the AI Impact Summit yet.

Did our AI summary help?

Galgotias University officials on February 18 said the controversy surrounding the Chinese robotic dog showcased at the AI Impact Summit stemmed from a “communication error”, adding that they have not received any directive from the government to vacate the venue.

The Greater Noida-based institution came under scrutiny after allegations surfaced that it had misrepresented a China-made robotic dog as an indigenous innovation.

Nitin Kumar Gaur, Registrar of Galgotias University, described the episode as a “jumble of two words — develop and development”, suggesting that the presenter may have misspoken. He maintained, however, that the university had worked on the robot’s development after procuring it.

“This is a jumble of two words — develop and development. We didn’t develop it; we worked on its development. We bought the robot so that students could conduct research on it,” Gaur said. “If China is making the claim, then perhaps it could have been purchased from there. But the purpose was academic research.”

Centre extends AI Impact Summit by a day till February 21: IT secretary

Gaur added that the university has not received any official communication asking it to vacate the summit premises.

Neha Singh, the faculty member who presented the robotic dog at the summit, also termed the episode a “misinterpretation” that led to widespread online criticism. Singh clarified that she is a communications faculty member at the School of Management and not part of the AI department.

“By one misinterpretation, the internet has gone by storm. It might be that I could not convey properly what I intended to say,” she said, adding that the university continues to participate in the expo and has not been asked to leave.

Galgotias University asked to vacate AI Summit following Chinese robot claim: Govt sources

Singh was seen in a viral video introducing the robot dog, named ‘Orion’, and describing its capabilities at the AI expo. In the footage, presenters claimed the robotic dog regularly patrols the campus and can be deployed for applications such as surveillance, including capturing images in narrow or hard-to-access spaces.

After the clip circulated widely on social media, several media outlets — including those covering Chinese and Eurasian affairs — questioned the university’s claims.

The robot displayed at the summit closely resembled the Unitree Go2, manufactured by Unitree Robotics, a China-based company. The Unitree Go2 is a commercially available quadruped robot sold globally at a price of about $2,800 (approximately Rs 2.3 lakh).