The Galgotias RoboDog Debacle: When “Make in India” Met “Buy from China” and Decided to Cosplay as Innovation

From Our Correspondent

New Delhi: In yet another blockbuster episode of “India’s Private Universities: The Great Pretend Game,” Galgotias University delivered a performance so cringe-worthy it could win an award for unintentional comedy at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi. Picture this: Professor Neha Singh, beaming like she’d just invented gravity, parades out “Orion”—the university’s supposed homegrown marvel from their fancy-sounding Centre of Excellence. She gushes about its surveillance superpowers, ready to guard the nation like a loyal metal puppy. Cue the viral video… and cue the internet detectives in three, two, one.

Netizens, sharper than a IIT-JEE cutoff, zoomed in and yelled: “That’s not Orion, that’s Unitree Go2—the off-the-shelf Chinese robodog you can buy for about ₹2 lakh on the internet!” No custom code, no campus sweatshop R&D—just a quick Amazon (or Alibaba) checkout and a shameless rebrand. The summit organizers, clearly not in on the joke, swiftly ordered the stall dismantled faster than you can say “Atmanirbhar embarrassment.” MeitY dropped a stern warning about misinformation, because apparently someone needed to remind grown adults that lying on national television is frowned upon.

But wait, there’s more! This wasn’t a solo act. Fresh memes erupted when eagle-eyed trolls spotted the university’s other “indigenous breakthrough”: a “drone soccer arena” proudly touted as India’s first, built from scratch on campus. Spoiler: it looked suspiciously like the Striker V3 from South Korea’s Helsel Group. Because why stop at plagiarizing one country when you can collect international souvenirs?

The university’s damage control was comedy gold. First denial, then a classic “Professor was overly enthusiastic and ill-informed” excuse—because clearly no dean, no marketing team, and no one with eyes ever vetted the stall before letting it loose at a PM-attended summit. Social media roasted them alive: “Galgotias University: Innovating by importing since forever.” Chinese outlets had a field day, foreign press called it an “embarrassment,” and even the Uttar Pradesh Assembly got dragged in for a probe. Nothing says “world-class education” like turning a national AI showcase into a global laughingstock.

This fiasco perfectly captures the spirit of many private universities: charge ₹1.5 lakh+ per year (plus “miscellaneous” fees that could fund a small startup), deliver outdated syllabus and leaky hostels, then jazz up the brochure with borrowed toys and call it “cutting-edge research.” Who needs actual labs when you have a credit card and zero shame?

The real tragedy? While genuine Indian innovators grind away, these profit factories keep pulling stunts that make “Make in India” sound like “Made to Look Like India… But Not Really.” Regulatory bodies like UGC and the Ministry of Education? Still busy perfecting the art of rubber-stamping and political musical chairs.

So here’s the modest proposal: Next time a university wants to flex at a summit, mandate a simple test—plug in the serial number. If it traces back to Shenzhen or Seoul instead of the campus workshop, immediate derecognition and a lifetime ban from bragging rights. Until then, India’s education scene will keep serving up premium fees with budget authenticity.

Because nothing screams “AI superpower” like a Chinese robodog named Orion getting deported from an Indian summit. Woof.