Amidst the controversy surrounding Galgotias University for showcasing a Chinese-made robot dog at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit, videos of another four-legged robot made by an Indian start-up have surfaced online.
This robot, named PARAM, was created by Bengaluru-based start-up General Autonomy, which describes it as a completely indigenous machine.
The start-up shared the video in a post on X, saying, “Enough of this nonsense! Presenting PARAM: India’s most powerful desi robot dog. Not assembled, not purchased – made in India, by Indians. For our country, for our century, for our world.”
General Autonomy also pinned an old post showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding the robot.
In December, the company shared another video showing PARAM interacting with a street dog in Bengaluru, demonstrating its real-world mobility and sensing capabilities.
Galgotias University: Controversy
Galgotias University in Uttar Pradesh came under controversy when a robotic dog showcased at the India AI Impact Summit was allegedly presented as an in-house innovation, but it was later revealed to be a Chinese-made machine.
At the summit, university representatives introduced a robotic dog named Orion, claiming it was built by the institution’s Centre of Excellence. However, social media users soon pointed out that the robot appeared to be the Unitree Go2, a quadruped robot made by China’s Unitree Robotics and widely used in research and robotics training worldwide. Following the protests, the Galgotias university initially tried to defend its claim.
Later, the summit organisers reportedly cut off power to the stall and asked the Galgotias university to vacate the space. The institution later issued a formal apology, attributing the confusion to a staff member who was unaware of the robot’s technical origins.
All About PARAM
PARAM is powered by a Nvidia Jetson GPU and specialised actuators, which are reportedly the only non-Indian components in the system. General Autonomy works to develop home robots and the artificial intelligence systems that drive their functioning. The startup was established in 2023 by Farid Ahsan and Bhanu Pratap Singh.
Earlier, speaking about the company’s vision, Ahsan said that General Autonomy’s mission is to “revolutionise the future of factories.” “Factories are complex puzzles, and automation serves as a crucial element to understanding the entire scenario, leading to safer, more efficient, and standardised production. With a vision to make mass manufacturing as agile and distributed as software development, we’re based in Bengaluru but operate globally,” he said.
