Galgotias University Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over ‘In-House’ Soccer Drone Claim Following Chinese Robodog Controversy
Galgotias University has come under fresh criticism after a viral video raised questions about its assertion of developing a soccer drone entirely on campus, coming just after the institution was embroiled in a separate dispute involving a Chinese-made robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
The latest controversy centers on Professor Neha Singh, who was also involved in the earlier robodog incident. In the clip, she presented the drone as an innovative product fully engineered at the university. She described it as “India’s first drone soccer arena,” visible on the Galgotias campus in Greater Noida. According to her, the end-to-end engineering—from design to practical application—occurred at the institution. She explained that students use the arena to play games, refine their drone-flying abilities, and advance the technology with improved features.
Drone soccer involves teams of 3-5 players remotely controlling ball-shaped drones to score goals in a netted arena. The showcased device, however, bears a strong resemblance to the Striker V3 ARF, a semi-assembled professional soccer drone produced by South Korea’s Helsel Group, as noted by multiple online observers and detailed on sites such as skyballdrone.com.
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The Indian Youth Congress highlighted the issue on social media platform X, pointing out the similarity and criticizing the university’s claims. In a post, the group stated: “First China, now Korea. Galgotias is on a world tour of ‘borrowed’ innovation. They claimed to have built India’s first Drone Soccer from scratch on campus, but it’s actually just a Striker V3 ARF from Korea.” They further questioned the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) initiative by asking, “Atmanirbhar’ or just ‘Atmanir-buy’ Modi ji?”
This development follows closely on the heels of the robodog controversy at the same summit held at Bharat Mandapam. Professor Singh had earlier presented a robot named ‘Orion,’ describing it as developed at the university’s Centre of Excellence. Online users quickly identified it as a product from Chinese robotics company Unitree. The university’s stall was vacated after the incident, with authorities citing national embarrassment.
In response to the robodog matter, Professor Singh clarified in an interview with Hindustan Times that her use of “developed” referred to students studying, experimenting with, and innovating upon the technology, not creating it from scratch. She attributed any misstatement to excitement and haste during the presentation. Galgotias University issued an apology, describing the representative as “ill-informed” and stating the professor lacked awareness of the product’s technical origins.
The university has not yet issued a specific clarification on the soccer drone claims in available reports. The back-to-back incidents have intensified online debate about the portrayal of technological innovations at the event.