Bullet Elevator Unveiled for World's Tallest Building

It will be so fast it could be one of those gut-gripping, blackout-inducing rides at an amusement park. It is the latest in elevator technology and will used by thousands of people every day.

China is currently building the world's tallest skyscraper. The Shanghai Tower will stand 2,073 feet high, or 128 stories. To shuttle passengers to the sky, Mitsubishi has the contract to build 106 aerodynamic elevators unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Consider the fact that the elevators in the World Trade Center traveled at an ear-popping 1,600 feet per minute according to the engineer who installed them. The Mitsubishi elevators will travel at a rate of 3,281 feet per minute, more than twice as fast as those at the World Trade Center. And there will be no need to stop at a sky lobby to break up the trip that was necessary in the WTC.

The Mitsubishi design team is promising a comfortable non-stop ride from the bottom to the top.

Ultra-high-speed elevators require the latest technology in both mechanics and personal comfort. Mitsubishi released data on drive, controllability, super high-rise cable mechanics and safety along with such …. technicalities like "advanced plunger" and "exceptional shock absorption."

Mitsubishi's specs were designed to ensure that riders won't leave their lunch on the 50th floor or have their eardrums explode. Inside each car the air pressure will be controlled to avoid erupting earaches due to rapid changes in altitude. Each car's interior will be insulated to quell sound and suitably equipped to reduce vibration.

Mitsubishi isn't saying whether they will provide the handy little bags that come in the front pocket of your seat of an airplane, but it might be a good idea.