As i understand it Valetudo is not actually firmware to control the robot. It is a "parasite" that makes the existing robot firmware belive it is connected to the cloud which is very different from actually controlling and navigating the robot. However, in terms of homeasistant integration it could be worth getting inspired.

For a control operating system ROS could be something to consider. When I used it 10 years ago the project was quite unstable since tools changed constantly and it was overly complicated to work with, but a lot of development has happened since so maybe worth considering. I wrote this before reading the article

This is why I love foss software. Their is some guy hacking away at some very specific problem in his own time and he shares it with the world for free. You will have never heard of this problem or even contemplated its existence but once u know some foss developer has solved it going back to a world where it doesn't exist is just a little bit duller.

I love valetudo!

But I also think there should be more open source robotics, and a robot vacuum feels the right topic as a starting point.

I think I also saw someone that wanted to make a robot grass cutter.

Looks pretty cool but a very short list of compatible devices. Also, what they consider "budget options" are not what I would consider "in my price range". LoL 😂