I have been an amateur (not formally trained) robotics researcher for some time, and I was very excited to hear about the Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRS). At the same time, I must confess, I am still a bit skeptical. Not for any good reason mind you, just because it isn't my creation. Yes, I am a little envious, but I will get over it. 
For some time now, the world of robotics software has needed a medium for the abstraction of platform dependencies, and a mechanism for the exchange of robotics applications. How can a robotics software industry emerge to support the many robotics hardware companies out there, if there isn't a way to create a self-installing robot application that can be sold to a broad category of robots, without being specifically customized for any one particular robot? Imagine where we would be if the developer of a PC application was forced to create new versions of their app for each type of PC or laptop sold.
Making this happen will require a host of tools and deployment technologies, something Microsoft is so good at creating. MSRS is the first step in this direction for the robotics community, so I have decided to give it the once over. In the next week or two, I will create an article providing an overview of the capabilities and potential of the MSRS technology. If you have any comments, questions, requests for particular MSRS subject matter please let me know in your comment to this post.
Stay tuned!