Who wouldn't want a high-definition wall in their home? But have you ever considered a high-definition floor?

The tiles in this floor give physical feedback, and can simulate different surfaces such as sand or grass.

Researchers at McGill University have come up with floor tiles that can have a surface image displayed using projectors mounted overhead. So far, pretty cool. But the plastic tiles can sense pressure and be made to vibrate. As a result, it can feel like different surfaces as you walk across it. This simulated motion is called “haptic feedback”. How about drifting snow, or a pebble beach? Maybe you could merge it with Smell-O-Vision and walk across a freshly-mowed grass lawn.

The floor could be used for simulation applications, or could be used as part of a user interface to control a computerized system such as games.