Noida-based Galgotias University was asked on Wednesday to vacate the India AI Impact Summit immediately following a controversy over the institution presenting a Chinese robodog as its own, sources said. The development comes as the university faced massive backlash on social media after the robotic dog displayed at its booth as an in-house innovation was identified as a commercially available Chinese product.

The university, which maintained it never claimed to have built the device, initially said it did not receive any such order. India Today, however, was able to verify that Galgotias was vacating its stall at the AI Summit Expo being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The issue has left the government red-faced, after the opposition accused it of giving space to “showcase Chinese products” at the India AI Summit.

WHY GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY LANDED IN CONTROVERSY?

The controversy erupted after Galgotias University showcased a surveillance robotic dog named “Orion” at the AI Summit being held in Delhi. A viral video shows a university professor, Neha Singh, presenting the robodog and claiming that it was developed under the university’s Rs 350 crore AI initiative.

She proudly said the robodog was capable of surveillance while moving autonomously around the campus.

The device gained wider attention after it featured in a video titled India’s ‘Sovereign Models’ posted by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

WHAT IS THE UNITREE ROBODOG?

However, the robodog turned out to be actually a Chinese-made Unitree Go2 and not an in-house innovation. In fact, the Unitree Go2 is a commercially available, mass-produced robodog that can be bought easily for around $2,800 (Rs 2.3 lakh).

Unitree is a Chinese robotics company known for making these advanced quadruped (four-legged) robots that can move like real dogs while carrying out monitoring tasks.

It seems Galgotias did not do its homework properly, or believed it would escape scrutiny. In the age of social media, it is a rather foolish thought.

ISSUES CLARIFICATION, GETS FACT-CHECKED

As the fiasco blew out of proportion, the university came out with a hastily drafted statement. The university asserted it never claimed it developed the robotic dog, and it was being used as a teaching tool.

“Let us be clear – Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed… Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits, and in the process, expanding their own knowledge,” the statement said.

However, more embarrassment was in store for Galgotias.

The university’s clarification itself was challenged by an X community note. It claimed the university’s assertion that it never presented the robot as its own was incorrect. The community note said the robot was explicitly described as developed by the university during their presentation at the AI Summit.

Even a China-linked X account posted the claim by the university. “An Indian university presents the Chinese robot Unitree Go2 as its own innovation at the AI Summit in Delhi,” the post read.

Presenting a Chinese product as a domestic breakthrough at a global summit attended by foreign leaders and tech bigwigs could potentially damage national credibility.

On Wednesday, Galgotias attempted to control the damage and deployed its professors to address the media. It has now attempted to portray the issue as a case of miscommunication.

Neha Singh, who has unknowingly become the face of the controversy, said the controversy happened as the issue was not communicated properly.

“I take accountability for perhaps I did not communicate it properly. Also, the intent may not have been properly understood. One important point is regarding the robot dog – we cannot claim that we manufactured it,” Singh said.

Nitin Kumar Gaur, Galgotias University registrar, has squarely put the blame on Professor Neha Singh.

“This is a jumble of two words, develop and development. We didn’t develop it. We worked on its development… I can say that perhaps she (Professor Neha) might have been confused by the words in the flow,” Gaur told ANI.

The whole saga has led several users on social media to question the university’s credibility. A 2020 research paper linked to Galgotias that made contentious claims that sound vibrations could kill Covid has resurfaced amid the row. It now remains to be seen how the university comes out of the doghole of its own making.