Galgotias University responds after being accused of passing off Chinese robot dog as its own at AI summit

New Delhi, Feb 18: Galgotias University on Tuesday issued a clarification after facing backlash for presenting a Chinese robot dog as their own at the ongoing AI summit in Delhi. Galgotias acknowledged that the robodog was not developed by them and said it had never claimed to have built it — despite a video showing a professor of the university saying that the robodog was built in-house.

The video showed professor Neha Singh of the university claiming that the dog is named Orion and that it was developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University. Singh added that Orion is capable of performing surveillance and monitoring tasks and that it freely roams the university campus. Viewers were quick to point out that the robot dog was actually acquired from a Chinese company called Unitree.

Galgotias University issues clarification
After the backlash, Galgotias University took to social media to issue a clarification. The university said it had never claimed to have built the robodog itself.

“Galgotias has not built this robodog, neither have we claimed,” the statement said. “But what we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies right here in Bharat.”

Galgotias University said it has consistently brought “cutting-edge technologies” to their campus from countries like China, Singapore and the US to provide exposure to their students.

“The recently acquired Robodog from Unitree is one such step in that journey. It is not merely a machine on display — it is a classroom in motion. Our students are experimenting with it, testing its limits, and in the process, expanding their own knowledge,” it said.

What is a Unitree robodog?
Unitree Robotics’ “robodogs” are a family of advanced quadruped (four-legged) robots designed to move like real animals while carrying out tasks — from obstacle navigation to industrial inspection and entertainment.

Unitree is a Chinese robotics company known for making these robots more affordable and accessible than many competitors, like Boston Dynamics’ Spot.