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Controversial suicide pod dubbed the ‘Tesla of euthanasia’ to be used for the first time

A suicide pod dubbed the “Tesla of euthanasia” will be used for the first time next week.

Sarco, a 3D-printed capsule, was first 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.

Fiona Stewart, a member of the advisory board and COO of The Last Resort, Switzerland’s human rights non-profit association focused on assisted suicide, presents the Sarco suicide capsule in Zurich on July 17, 2024. ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images
An oxygen meter inside a Sarco-assisted suicide capsule. ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images

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.

The Sarco suicide capsule is a 3D-printed machine. ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images

A letter from Public Prosecutor Peter Stiche 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.

CEO and Vice President Florian Willet and COO Fiona Stewart of The Last Resort address a press conference to present the Sarco in Zurich on July 17, 2024. ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images
A view of the release button inside a Sarco assisted-suicide capsule. a view of the release button inside a displayed Sarco assisted suicide capsule

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.

A suicide pod dubbed the “Tesla of euthanasia” is set to be used for the first time next week. ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images
The futuristic-looking machine was developed by a pro-euthanasia group and is meant to reduce a person’s dependence on doctors and suicide-assistance organizations. ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images
Sarco claims to offer a painless death within 10 minutes of entering with the push of a button. This photograph shows a view of the Sarco assisted suicide capsule, during a press conference organised by the “Last Resort”, a Swiss human rights non-profit association focused on assisted suicide, in Zurich on July 17, 2024. An assisted suicide capsule, which is causing a stir in Switzerland, could be used “very soon” for the first time, The Last Resort, the organization promoting it, estimated on July 17, 2024, without giving further details at this stage. The futuristic-looking device, called “Sarco” for sarcophagus, is designed to enable people to take their own lives by pressing a button inside the capsule, which is supposed to release nitrogen. (Photo by ARND WIEGMANN / AFP) (Photo by ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images)

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 (MIT) 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.

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