E-Paper
After Chinese robodog row, Galgotias' ‘soccer drone’ claim under scanner
Several internet users noted that a drone showcased by the university looked similar to the soccer drone developed by South Korea's Helsel Group.
After the row over a Chinese robodog displayed at their stall in Bharat Mandapam at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Galgotias University is in hot water again.
The university staff and students vacated their stall at the summit earlier today.
Another clip of Professor Neha Singh, who was also at the center of the robodog row, showing a soccer drone which she said was built and developed at the university, has gone viral.
However, several internet users noted that the drone looked similar to the soccer drone developed by South Korea's Helsel Group. The Indian Youth Congress took to social media platform X to flag the matter, while taking a jibe at the Centre's ‘Atmanirbhar’ push.
“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,” the Youth Congress said. “Atmanirbhar’ or just ‘Atmanir-buy’ Modi ji?” they added.
What did the Galgotias professor claim?
Showcasing the products, Galgotias professor Neha Singh said it was “India's first drone soccer arena” which can also be seen at the university's campus.
Also Read | Govt's warning amid Galgotias Univ's robodog row: ‘Don’t display items…'
“This is an interesting product. From its end-to-end engineering to its application, everything has been done at the university,” Singh said.
“This is India's first drone soccer arena which can be seen on campus at Galgotias. And the students inside this arena play games, enhance their flying skills and in a new and stronger way develop it with enhanced features,” the professor further added.
What is the Striker V3 ARF product?
According to skyballdrone.com, Striker V3 ARF is a “is a top-tier, semi-assembled drone” engineered for professional drone soccer.
Drone soccer is a game wherein 3-5 players from each team control the drone, which is shaped like a soccer ball, to score in a round goal of the opponent team inside a Netted play Zone called the Arena.
What was the Chinese robodog row?
The troubles for Galgotias University began when Professor Neha Singh, while showcasing a robodog named ‘Orion’, claimed it had been developed at the institution's Centre of Excellence.
However, people soon noticed that the robot dog was actually sourced from Chinese robotics firm Unitree. Following this, Professor Singh issued a clarification in an interview with HT, saying, “I could have been more eloquent. I could have been more articulate. Because of the euphoria and rush, things went a little hither-thither, which was never the intention.”
She explained that when she earlier used the word “developed,” she was referring to how students would study, experiment on, and build further innovations using such technologies.
Galgotias, in a statement on Wednesday evening, apologised for the “confusion”, and blamed Singh for the fiasco, saying the representative was “ill-informed.” “We at Galgotias University, wish to apologise profusely for the confusion created at the recent Al Summit. One of our representatives, manning the pavilion, was ill-informed,” they said, adding that the professor was not aware of the technical origins of the product.
