Who isn't familiar with Roger Linn? The brains behind the infamous drum machines/samplers is constantly (in his own words) "interested in the idea of new musical instruments that overcome the limitations of traditional mechanical instruments." To echo that belief, he has come up with a prototype for a USB touch surface/controller, which he aptly calls the "LinnStrument"
The prototype consists of a multi-touch, pressure-sensitive, high-resolution USB touch surface from a company called TouchCo (details below). A printed transparency containing the note names is attached to the top, and another clear sheet with each square cut out is attached above it in order to provide tactile feedback of the borders between notes..."
The final product is slated to look something like this:
And here's a demo video of what it is capable of doing:
