I have worked on this idea for quite a while now and it came about from the use of sticky pistons. With sticky pistons you can push 12 blocks but you can only pull one and it only moves one place. And if you attempt to attach multiple pistons to each other they do not put or pull if the one attached to it is engaged. So this suggestion has 2 parts first off either make them so they will pull each other back even if they are engaged as well as pulling the block back that is attached or have a piston that open more than one block. And second have a craft able item that you can stick to other blocks so they can stick to a piston on one side while holding another block on the other, the crafting would be the same thing as making a piston into a sticky piston. And you would be able to do this with any block, and the basic thing is you would place the block with a sticky pad on it, on the piston with the sticky pad not touching the piston then you would attach another block to that and the piston would pull both of them.
+1
My previous/current work: Plantology