Researchers have bigger plans for multi-touch screens than the novel interface on Apple’s iPhone.

Jeff Han, consulting research scientist at New York University, has developed an inexpensive way to make large multi-touch screens accommodating 10, 20, or even more fingers. He envisions applications ranging from interactive whiteboards to touch-screen tables and digital walls–any of which could be manipulated by more than just one person.

Some researchers are even developing touchable displays that can touch back, using haptics. One type of haptics technology involves a surface that senses when it’s touched and then vibrates at various frequencies, depending on the placement of one’s fingers.