In the 1980s, Robot Jones is a young robot tasked by his parents to attend a middle school for humans so that he may study them. Initially, Robot is hesitant to do so as he finds humans "inefficient." After Dad-Unit has his say, Robot begins life as a typical middle school student with a light bulb for a brain. He quickly finds fitting in to be very difficult as most of the school finds him strange, including the students, teachers, and especially the technophobic principal. Shortly after blowing a fuse in front of the entire school, Jones loses all will to study humans, until he falls for a girl with large orthodontic headgear and a prosthetic metal leg and instantly changes his attitude on the matter. Humans are now interesting creatures that desire "further study". As the series progresses, Robot confronts typical middle school issues such as love, fads, bullies, and Physical Education.