A suicide pod dubbed the “Tesla of euthanasia” will be used for the first time next week.
Sarco, a 3D-printed capsule, was unveiled at the Venice Design Festival in 2019 and reportedly offers a painless death within 10 minutes of entering with the push of a button, reported Metro.
It works by flooding the chamber with nitrogen, which reduces oxygen levels so fast that the person inside loses consciousness within the first minute. The person will then have a “peaceful, even euphoric” death within 10 minutes, according to the company site.
The futuristic-looking contraption developed by a pro-euthanasia group is meant to reduce a person’s dependence on doctors and suicide assistance organizations and give an alternative option to the existing legal methods.
Voluntary assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, according to Metro; however, Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code states that assisting suicide is a crime done for “selfish” reasons.
“Whoever, from selfish motives, induces another person to commit suicide or aids him in it, shall be confined in the penitentiary for not over five years, or in the prison, provided that the suicide has either been completed or attempted,” the code says.
Authorities have suggested that the device should be banned and anyone using it to assist in someone else’s death could face jail time.
A letter from Public Prosecutor Peter Sticher obtained by Swiss newspaper Blick noted that there could be “serious consequences” for operators of the machine.
“There is no reliable information about the method of killing,” Sticher told the outlet. “[It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.”
The pods are activated by a button, blink, gesture or voice control. For those who cannot vocally communicate due to severe illness or mobility issues, the pod can be activated through eye movement.
In order for the process to start, the individual is required to state their name, where they are and confirm that they’re aware of what will happen once the nitrogen begins to flow.
The person also can choose a transparent pod window to see outside as the nitrogen flows.
The euthanasia process is filmed, and that footage is handed over to a coroner.
Sarco, short for sarcophagus, doubles as a coffin and is made of biodegradable materials.
The pod’s inventor and founder of Exit International, Philip Nitschke, 76 — who has been nicknamed “Dr. Death” — is being accused of trying to “glamorize” the act of ending one’s life.
He previously shared that the pod can be transported anywhere in the world: “It can be in an idyllic outdoor setting or on the premises of an assisted-suicide organization, for example.”
A 2022 review by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that if the device experienced a malfunction, the technology would fail to put the individual in an unconscious state, leading to a painful death.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the 988 Suicide Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org.