I can see how this is a different topic, but you might want to look into
this thread for some insight on some folks' work on making the controller programmable (before RadioShack releases the programming module, that is).
If someone can figure out the signals coming out of the tether port on the Vex controller, I could imagine them being replicated...but for programming autonomous behavior, the things they're talking about in that thread is right up your alley.