Modular, open-source robotics running on ROS is clearly the way to go vs. the expensive 'black box' proprietary platform / software. From the conversations I've had with people in the industry, it certainly feels like robotics is approaching a paradigm shift thanks to ROS / modular / open-source approaches.<p>For any robotics hackers out there, check out Clearpath Robotics' Turtlebot - <a href="http://clearpathrobotics.com/turtlebot" rel="nofollow">http://clearpathrobotics.com/turtlebot</a>. I know the Clearpath guys, definitely good people / good products / closely aligned to the open-source / ROS movement.
Also of note here should be Redwood Robotics: <a href="http://redwoodrobotics.com" rel="nofollow">http://redwoodrobotics.com</a> They'll be making the hardware behind all of this, and are a for-profit spin-out of Willow Garage.
Yes, this is good stuff! Advanced robots today are often very expensive. But I hope soon what happened to computers will happen to robots. Advanced robotics becoming a very popular yet not expensive to participate in hobby would be the first step in that.