Cybot, an Iowa State robot, will be making its television debut later this summer.

ISU students are currently working on a robot that will be taken on a trip to Portland, Ore., to compete in an exhibition and competition.

“Cybot is a large mobile robot that is six feet tall and weighs 200 pounds,” said Chad Bouton, a masters student in engineering mechanics. “Cybot has speech capabilities and can recognize speech as well.”

ISU students built and designed Cybot from the base up. Cybot won “most creative” in the Veishea competition and will soon be competing with schools around the country, such as the Colorado School of the Minds.

While in Oregon, Cybot will make its first television debut with host and actor Alan Alda. The show “Scientific American Frontiers” will do a special about the American Association for Artificial Intelligence.

“Alan Alda will interact with Cybot and other robots for the show, which will be aired all over the world sometime after August,” Bouton said.

Electrical Engineering Professor Ralph Patterson III and Bouton have been critical advisors for the Cybot Summer Team. Bouton began the construction of Cybot during his undergraduate years and coined the name “Cybot.”

The Cybot Summer Team undergraduates are Kelly Rowles, Matt Kettler, Deven Hubbard, Sophia Thrall, Brian Miller and Brian Morrison. There are also students during the fall and spring semesters who participate in Team Cybot.

Bouton said, “Cybot has interacted with over 1,000 students ranging from kindergarten to graduate students to serve as a recruitment and educational tool.”

Cybot is currently valued at $16,000, with $9,000 of that provided by the College of Engineering and the electrical engineering department. Donations of about $7,000 have been made by local, state and international companies.

Team Cybot was recently approved as an official organization on campus and is open to anyone interested in robotics.