PORTLAND, Ore. -- Robbie The Rover weighs 90 pounds, but is strong enough to pull a truck.

The self-propelled, 2½ horsepower, four-wheel-drive robot also has a brain to match its brawn.

"It can actually think to some degree," said Portland State University professor Erik Sanchez.

But a thief stole the $5,000 robot during a car break-in Sunday night. Sanchez, who has a Ph.D in physics, said he feels he did something stupid when he left the robot in his unlocked SUV.

"You feel kind of weird when suddenly you look in the car and the thing that is worth more than the car is missing," he said.

Sanchez said he has been using the donated robot to teach his students at the PSU Nano Development Lab about programming.

Those students said stealing the robot is pointless and that the machine only has value to them.

"That is completely ridiculous," said Mike DeArmond, a PSU student. "You're going to get that home and find out that you can't do anything with it … you're wasting your time and you stole our cool toy."

Sanchez said he won't ask questions if anyone can help him retrieve Robbie The Rover. All he wants is for the robot to be returned.

"Just return it and everything is fine," he said.

Anyone with information on the missing robot is asked to call the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 503-629-0111.

PSU Lab's 90-Pound Robot Stolen