I was thinking about ways that friction hinges could be used in a way other than rotary. Because a friction hinge is 2 concentric elements we could use the configuration with a force, in either direction, axially.  No changes would have to be  made other that how you fixture the band and shaft to be held. It also lends itself to a very slim line configuration. It could hold very large loads and because of the travel along the axis you could vary the diameter of the shaft pin to give a different force along the travel length. You could design it into an application that had an air cylinder that need a smooth stop at either end or even at any place along the shaft.