All About Switzerland's Portable Suicide Pods
Image: AFP
25 July 2024
An assisted dying group expects a portable suicide pod to be used for the first time in Switzerland, potentially within months, providing death without medical supervision
Image: AFP
The space-age-looking Sarco capsule, first unveiled in 2019, replaces the oxygen inside it with nitrogen, causing death by hypoxia. It costs $20 to use
Image: AFP
The person wishing to die must first pass a psychiatric assessment of their mental capacity -- a key legal requirement
Image: AFP
The person climbs into the purple capsule, closes the lid, and is asked automated questions such as who they are, where they are and if they know what happens when they press the button
Image: AFP
Once the button is pressed, the amount of oxygen in the air plummets from 21 per cent to 0.05 per cent in less than 30 seconds
Image: AFP
The Sarco monitors the oxygen level in the capsule, the person's heart rate and the oxygen saturation of the blood
Image: AFP
As for someone changing their mind at the very last minute, experts said, "Once you press that button, there's no way of going back."
Image: AFP
No decision has been made over the date and location of the first death, or who the first user might be
Image: AFP
The minimum age limit is 50, but exceptions can be made for seriously ill individuals over 18
Image: AFP
Check More Stories
Image: Pixabay
ndtv.com