Switzerland approves use of 3D-printed suicide pod that can be activated just by blinking.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

Switzerland has approved a 3D-printed “death pod” for legal use in the country.



This assisted suicide machine called “Sarco,” short for sarcophagus, promises a “painless death” and can be activated simply by blinking. Critics reportedly say the biodegradable pod, which has a futuristic look and can be taken anywhere — even a beautiful cliffside — without the need for tubes or monitoring equipment, is glamorizing assisted suicide. Others have compared it to a gas chamber.

The pod’s sleek design was chosen to “suggest a sense of occasion: of travel to a ‘new destination’ and to dispel the ‘yuk’ factor,” Exit International, the company that created the machine, says on its website.

With Sarco, there is no need for specialized skills, medical involvement or even expensive or difficult to obtain drugs, the company says. “The goal of Sarco is to remove the need for any assistance. This ensures any use of the Sarco is legal.”

https://vancouversun.com/news/world/switzerland-approves-use-of-3d-printed-suicide-pod-that-can-be-activated-just-by-blinking/wcm/67e4a4aa-619e-495a-ae34-cce9f53dbcb0

[Auggie]

1. It'll require help to move someone from a hospital bed into one of these things

It's one thing to administer an I.V. bedside. Simple. This could require help from probably two people and is more hands-on.

The concept is pretty cool, actually. Especially the euphoria part.

[Dial H For Hero]

2. Shades of Soylent Green...

[Walleye]

4. I thought the same thing. I think that movie was set in 2025

[Dial H For Hero]

5. 2022, actually. The book upon which it was based is set in 1999.

[Walleye]

6. Wow. A little too on the nose

[dalton99a]

3. Needless expense and effort. Liquid sodium pentobarbital is legal in Switzerland

[Voltaire2]

8. Oxygen/nitrogen swap is perhaps the

most painless way to go.

[yardwork]

10. This is for very wealthy people, obviously.

[Tommy Carcetti]

7. Well that's some crazy Black Mirror episode shit if I ever saw one. nt

Last edited Wed Dec 8, 2021, 12:05 PM - Edit history (1)

[yardwork]

11. I thought the same. Ultra luxury for the ultra rich.

[Sneederbunk]

9. Is the seat Corinthian leather?

[boston bean]

12. Not a fan of this.

[Hekate]

13. Uh, no

[Baitball Blogger]

14. I see this being used for nefarious purposes.

[dalton99a]

15. No, Switzerland has not approved a 'suicide capsule'

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-993202650845

No, Switzerland has not approved a ‘suicide capsule’
By SOPHIA TULP
December 9, 2021

CLAIM: Swiss regulatory agencies have formally approved the Sarco capsule, a mobile, 3D-printed chamber for carrying out assisted suicide.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The device — which is still a prototype — has not been approved for use by any Swiss agencies. The machine’s creator says he did not seek such approval because he believes his organization does not need it under current legal guidelines. SwissMedic, the national authorization agency for drugs and medical products, said it had not heard of the capsule until it gained widespread media attention recently.

THE FACTS: A story about a first-of-its-kind device designed as a vehicle for assisted suicide led to a flurry of false information about the machine. The article that inspired much of the coverage used language in its headline that many people incorrectly interpreted to mean the device has been authorized in Switzerland, when it has not.

Creator Philip Nitschke says the Sarco capsule is a 3D-printed pod that, when activated by the user, becomes flooded with nitrogen until it fatally reduces the oxygen levels inside. There are currently two prototypes of the product, which are not being offered for sale or use. It has not yet been tested, though Nitschke has said a third prototype could be operational in early 2022.

...

[jmowreader]

16. I hate to say it...

...but it looks like the perfect execution machine. It couples the advantage of lethal injection (not traumatizing the witnesses any more than watching someone die already does) while eliminating all of its drawbacks. Texas and Florida will probably start making them right away.

[lame54]

17. Swiss chocolate is people