Hitachi's Research Elevator: 40MPH Straight Up

Buildings get taller, and people get used to driving in fast cars and airplanes with new technology--but everyone forgets about elevators. Except Hitachi, which is soon to open an elevator research facility that's the tallest ever.

The G1 Tower (pictured here) is currently under construction in Japan, and Hitachi's just announced it'll be completed in April. When finished, it'll rear some 700 feet above HitachinakaCity, making it the tallest such research facility ever made. That'll let...