I am looking for phrases that would be similar in meaning to 'tip of the iceberg,' but has a positive connotation. My understanding is that 'tip of the iceberg' has a negative "hidden" connotation.
The phrase I am looking for is going to be used in the paragraph below:
Over the last few decades, robotics research has made considerable
strides towards solving hard robotics problems such as navigating
unknown environments, recognizing and manipulating objects, and using
natural language to interact. These advances have resulted in some
interesting robotic applications, ranging from autonomous vacuum
cleaners and self-parking cars to personal software assistants. Yet, I
believe these applications are just the tip of the iceberg in a whole
new wave of personal robotics applications to hit the marketplace.
Best Answer
I don't perceive "tip of the iceberg" as negative. However, as onomatomaniak comments, in your paragraph this metaphor mixes rather inharmoniously with the metaphor "whole new wave".
The phrase "leading edge" doesn't mean the same thing as "tip of the iceberg"; "leading edge" has a connotation of newness that "tip of the iceberg" does not. However, "leading edge" fits your intended meaning very well, and combines meaningfully with the "wave" metaphor.