Through the use of a fictional story, this book details how to build and design robots. Max, the story's main character, is part of an archaeological expedition investigating a newly discovered Mayan pyramid. During the expedition, the team encounters various problems, each solved with the help of a unique robot that Max creates using the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit.

Although the book reveals possible robotic solutions and offers detailed information on how to build and program each robot, readers are encouraged to come up with their own. The book includes complete building theory information and provides worksheets for brainstorming.