These scenarios aren't farfetched or far in the future. Tactonic Technologies, a company that has created low-cost sheets of precision pressure sensors, is working to make such interactions a reality.

“In some sense, touch is the most important sense,” said Gerry Seidman, CEO of Tactonic. “It never goes away. We can close our eyes, muffle our ears, but you always feel your clothes on your body.”

Tactonic is currently working with car companies, design firms and mobile device developers to integrate this tech into the surfaces of everyday items. The rectangular sheets, which Seidman refers to as "tiles," measure up to 2-feet square (for use on floors) and can be linked together to create a bigger sensing area.