Indian university faces backlash at India AI Impact Summit over Chinese-made robot
The issue arose following a viral video featuring Professor Neha Singh of Galgotias University, who introduced a four-legged robot named “Orion” as a product developed by the university’s Centre of Excellence
An Indian university found itself at the centre of controversy during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi after a quadruped robot displayed at its stall was alleged online to have been misrepresented as an in-house development.
The issue arose following a viral video featuring Professor Neha Singh of Galgotias University, who introduced a four-legged robot named "Orion" as a product developed by the university's Centre of Excellence. In the video, she said the machine was capable of surveillance and monitoring and was already moving freely across the campus, says the Hindustan Times.
Technology enthusiasts and viewers later identified the robot as a commercially available product manufactured by Unitree Robotics, a Chinese firm known for producing quadruped robots for research and education.
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University clarification
Following social media criticism, Galgotias University issued a statement on Tuesday night clarifying that it had never explicitly claimed to have manufactured the robot. The university said the machine had been acquired to provide students with hands-on exposure to advanced global technologies from countries such as China and the United States.
The institution described the robot as a "classroom in motion" intended for artificial intelligence programming and skill-building.
Professor Singh also addressed the controversy, taking accountability for her remarks, which she said were poorly communicated due to her "energy and enthusiasm". She said the objective was to inspire students to eventually design and engineer similar technologies in India, rather than to claim existing manufacturing rights.
Summit repercussions
The episode led to immediate consequences at the summit.
By Wednesday, the Unitree robot was no longer visible at the Galgotias stall. Government sources said the university had been asked to vacate its space for causing what was described as a "national embarrassment".
The university said it had not received a formal directive to leave. However, visuals from the event showed that power to the Galgotias stall had been cut.
Professor Singh said on Wednesday she had no information regarding any directive to vacate and that the university's team remained present at the event.
University response
Galgotias University characterised the backlash as a "propaganda campaign" and expressed concern that the reaction could harm the morale of students working with global technologies.
The controversy has drawn attention to questions around representation of imported technologies at public innovation events, as India promotes itself as a growing artificial intelligence hub.
