“Painless Death in 10 Minutes”…Purple Euthanasia Capsule to Start Working Next Week

“If you enter the purple capsule, you will die in peace.”

The capsule that helps with death is expected to be fully operational. This purple capsule that allows painless death with the push of a button is also called ‘Tesla’s Euthanasia’. The so-called euthanasia capsule is called ‘Sarco’.

According to several foreign news agencies, including the US AFP, the New York Post, and the UK Daily Mail, the euthanasia non-profit organization The Last Resort announced that its euthanasia capsule will be used for the first time in Switzerland next week. It has not been disclosed who the first user of Sarco will be, or when and where it will be used.

Voluntary euthanasia is legal in Switzerland. However, Section 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code criminalizes assisting suicide for “selfish” reasons, so using these capsules requires major legal requirements.

Sarco, first unveiled at the 2019 Venice Design Festival, is a 3D-printed capsule that purports to cause a painless death within 10 minutes at the push of a button. Developed by assisted-dying group Exit International, the capsule aims to reduce reliance on doctors and suicide support groups and provide an alternative to traditional legal methods.

Philipp Nitschke, the inventor of Sarco and founder of Extinternational, is also called the “Doctor of Death.” He has been criticized for glorifying suicide. However, he is not concerned and says, “Sarco is made of biodegradable materials and can be used as a coffin,” and “The capsule can be used anywhere in the world.”

The capsule is filled with nitrogen, rapidly reducing the oxygen level inside, causing death. In less than 30 seconds, the oxygen content in the air drops from 21% to 0.05%. As a result, the user loses consciousness within the first minute and dies peacefully within 10 minutes, according to the company that developed the device.

The capsule can be activated by a button, blink, gesture or even a voice command. This means that people who are unable to communicate with their hands or voice due to severe illness or mobility issues can activate it with eye movements.

Once inside the capsule, the user will be asked questions about who they are, where they are, and whether they know what will happen when they press the button. Once the nitrogen starts flowing, the person will need to confirm that they will die. The euthanasia process will be recorded and the footage will be sent to the medical examiner.

Meanwhile, a 2022 MIT review of the capsule also reported that if the device malfunctions, it could fail to render the user unconscious, leading to a painful death.