Mumbai, July 18: The Sarcophagus, popularly known as "Sarco" is a newly launched suicide pod that will be used in Switzerland soon for the first time for assisted or painless deaths. The rollout of these suicide pods, dubbed as the "Tesla of Death", has begun in Switzerland, with plans to expand to other nations. The euthanasia capsule causes death by hypoxia. Euthanasia is the practice of ending the life of a person to limit his/her suffering.

According to the company's website, Sarco was first unveiled at the Venice Design Festival in 2019. The 3D capsule offers "peaceful" or "euphoric" death. Once the chamber is filled with nitrogen, the person inside will die from lack of oxygen within 10 minutes. Switzerland Approves Capsule-Shaped Euthanasia Device for Painless Death in Under One Minute.

What Is Sarco or Tesla of Death? 

The concept of Sarco or "Tesla of Death" comes from the mind of an Australian researcher, Philip Nitschke, who is also the founder and director of Exit International. This suicide pod will provide a "peaceful death" to the patients without causing them any pain. As per the Economic Times, there is no feeling of anxiety or choking at the time of passing away. The device is portable and can be carried anywhere for assisted death.  Who is Zoraya Ter Beek Choosing Euthanasia at Age 28? What is Euthanasia, and How Will Dutch Woman Zoraya Ter Beek’s Euthanasia Procedure Take Place?

How Does Suicide Pod Sarco Work?

When someone enters the suicide pod, they'll be asked some questions by the embedded software. These questions are voice-activated so that they can be answered aloud. After the initial question-answer, the voice would say, "If you want to die, press this button". Once the button is pressed, the amount of oxygen inside the pod plummets from 21 per cent to 0.05 per cent in less than 30 seconds. The device replaces oxygen with nitrogen. One of the questions is: "Do you know what happens if you press the button?" If the answer is no, the process stops immediately, and the pod resets.

Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Helpline Numbers:

Tele Manas (Ministry of Health) – 14416 or 1800 891 4416; NIMHANS – 080-46110007; Peak Mind – 080-456 87786; Vandrevala Foundation – 9999 666 555; Arpita Suicide Prevention Helpline – 080-23655557; iCALL – 022-25521111 and 9152987821; COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ) – 8322252525.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2024 11:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).