You're forgetting that we've had a major change in the control system from IFI to National Instruments/Labview/C++/Java/other stuff. I think the only thing that hasn't changed since 2007 are the snap-action breakers and the main 120 Amp breaker. Speed controllers options are greatly expanded, including some with onboard sensing/sensor processing/control algorithms. They're also loads smaller. No more Spikes, you're using a custom module for pneumatic solenoids and the compressor, speed controllers for anything else. No more IFI radios, it's all Wifi radios now, as the whole control system is networked. This is good: onboard camera feedback to driver station, driver station is any moderately current laptop, standardish ENet camera vision libraries. It's also bad: radios can take forever (30+ seconds) to boot and sync. But over all, the current control system is much, much, much more capable, probably lighter, and certainly smaller. (Yes, smaller and lighter was debateable until the roboRIO + PCM came out, but still.)
Motor rules are significantly loosened, for the most part. Lots of better motor options than esoterically numbered fisher prices or BB that would melt at the first stall.
LOTS of better gearbox options. Check out the Versaplanetaries and then cry a little that you ever had to deal with BaneBots planetaries that stripped the output shaft hole on the output planet plate. Or look at the various 2-3 CIM drive gearbox options and wonder why you ever had to deal with BaneBots P80 gearboxes with output planet carriers that
shattered under drivetrain stresses.
Also check out
Andymark and
West Coast Products and probably lots of other places that have FRC specific solutions to things like wheels and all. With so much COTS stuff available now, designs are much easier, so the level of the game is rising to keep the challenge the same.