Greater Noida's Galgotias University sparked controversy and widespread criticism on social media after it claimed a Chinese robot was its own invention, leading the university to vacate its stall at a conference on Wednesday.
What you should know
Chinese robots and manufacturing companies have been discussed at the ongoing 'India AI Impact Summit-2026' in New Delhi, India. Many have criticized the display of Chinese products as indigenous at such a large AI conference, at a time when the Indian government is banning several Chinese technologies and apps.
Galgotias University in Greater Noida had sparked controversy and widespread criticism on social media after it claimed that a Chinese robot was its own invention. The incident forced the university to vacate its stall at the conference on Wednesday.
According to Al Jazeera, Galgotias University professor Neha Singh, in an interview with DD News, had named the robot dog ‘Orion’ and claimed that it was developed by the university’s Center of Excellence.
Social media users immediately identified the robot as the ‘Unitree Go To’ model, made by the famous Chinese company Unitry Robotics. Following the controversy, India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav also deleted the video he shared on his social media.
University Registrar Nitin Kumar Gaur, speaking to ANI, explained that the confusion arose due to a mistake in the use of the words ‘develop’ and ‘development’. He clarified that the robot was purchased for the students' study and research and was not invented by the university. Professor Singh also said that the meaning was misinterpreted and that there was a small error in his speech. The Indian National Congress, on the other hand, has criticized the government over this incident. The Congress has commented that it has tarnished the country's reputation globally.
Despite the heated atmosphere of Golgotiyaz and Chinese robots throughout the day on Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft Vice President Brad Smith, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in India to participate in the AI conference. On Wednesday itself, there was a serious discussion about the benefits of including AI in the digital identity system Aadhaar card and the deepfake and privacy risks it may cause.
The Indian Army showcased indigenous technologies including 'AI Examiner', and there was a discussion about the role of AI in the maintenance and operation of military equipment. In addition, Google committed to investing $ 15 billion to build AI infrastructure in India. The ‘America-India Connect’ initiative has been launched to strengthen digital connectivity between the US and India.
The event, which was earlier scheduled for February 20, has been extended to February 21 due to the huge crowd and enthusiasm of the people. The conference is witnessing extensive discussions and demonstrations of AI (physical AI) connected to machines and hardware. On the second and third days of the exhibition, humanoid (human-like) robots attracted a lot of attention. Robots that detect crop diseases, spray medicines, perform predictive maintenance (a system that detects machine breakdowns before they break down) and transport goods in factories are on display.
One of the main attractions of the exhibition is the robot called ‘Scout’ created by an organization called EY India. This robot is specially designed to independently move around and monitor hazardous areas of oil refineries and large factories. The humanoid robotics platform presented by the famous technology company ‘Qualcomm’ includes an AI-based humanoid system and
Advanced Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) is included. It has a ‘Dragonwing IQ-10’ processor.
China currently dominates the global humanoid robot market. According to a report released by the digital news organization ‘Rest of World’ on February 5, about 90 percent of the robots sold in 2025 were from Chinese companies. Data from Omdia and IDC show that 13,000 to 18,000 robots were sold worldwide last year.
Robotics in Nepal
Robots from Chinese companies including Unitry have also arrived in Nepal. Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN), MAW Vriddhi, and others have been presenting humanoid and quadruped robots at various events. Unitry’s ‘Cyber Dog’ brought by RAN from China has attracted the attention of observers by showing its ability to dance to Nepali songs, light lamps in lanterns during the inauguration of events, and greet them. MAW Vriddhi had put up a humanoid robot wearing a headscarf for display at the NADA Auto Show held in Bhadau.
‘There is a very high demand for robots in Nepal, especially in the entertainment and education sectors,’ says Ryan Chairman Bikash Gurung. ‘Colleges are looking for such robots to teach and train students, while their demand is also increasing in sports and big events.’ According to him, Chinese unitary robots are cheaper and more affordable than other robots. He said that a robotic dog will cost at least Rs 400,000 when it arrives in Nepal.
Gurung says that it is not immediately possible to make such advanced robots in Nepal. He says that at least 3 to 4 years of rigorous research and development are required to develop labs and technology like those of Chinese companies. Vigyan Shrestha, Chairman of the IT Software Export Committee of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the College of Software, also mentioned that Nepal’s robotics sector is currently in its infancy. ‘The robotics or IoT industry has not been developed in Nepal yet. The robots made by students are just prototypes or samples,’ he said.
