robot based on Robostix and I2C?

I'm a complete newbie to robotics, so please be kind and use small words. :)

I've just recently discovered Gumstix, makers of tiny little one-board computers that run Linux, and wondered about their applications to hobby robotics. In particular, there is a "robostix" version which is only $50 (or $40 without connection headers):

This sports an I2C interface, which I also just learned about this week (remember, I'm the newbie). It seems like you could take one of these $50 computers, string together some I2C sensors and motors, program the whole thing in Linux, and have a complete solution that's both cheaper and way more powerful than, say, an RCX brick or Handyboard.

I'm wondering if anybody here has any thoughts about this approach. One concern I have is whether jumping on the I2C bandwagon is going to make for expensive robots -- it seems like all the I2C gadgets I can find are made by Devantech, and those guys aren't cheap.

Their dual motor driver is $102, for example; if I can't do better than that then I'd be better off buying an extra RCX brick for every three motors I want to control. It also seems to a bit over-engineered too, with RC inputs and so on; I wonder if there are cheaper I2C motor controllers elsewhere.

But enough from me... what do y'all think?

Thanks,

- Joe

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