Dr. Philip Nitschke, nicknamed Dr. Death announced plans to unveil his latest “suicide machine” called Sarco (short for sarcophagus) at the Amsterdam’s Funeral Fair. It allows the person to step inside a full-size depiction of the euthanasia capsule and experience death in virtual reality.
According to the doctor, the plans for 3D printing the capsule will be freely available on the Internet by next year. He says that the suicide machine can be assembled anywhere to “allow a person a peaceful passing” at any location they choose.
Experience your own virtual VR #euthanasia death in the 3D printed Sarco at the Amsterdam Funeral Expo this Sat 14th and meet the designershttps://t.co/Eb7CZpGf5S pic.twitter.com/gdHX9pVM7e
— Philip Nitschke (@philipnitschke) April 10, 2018
The people who will actually want to use the device have to fill out an online test to gauge their mental fitness. On passing that, they will receive an access code valid for 24 hours. Another confirmation needs to be given by the user after entering the code.
The Sarco will be sitting on a generator that uses liquid nitrogen. When this is released, it brings down the level of oxygen in the capsule to induce hypoxia. Our body needs oxygen to function and when put in environments with low levels of oxygen, the body begins to shut down.
This results in confusion, increased heart rate, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, sweating, and wheezing. Nitschke says that in the Sarco, death will have “style and elegance”. The user loses consciousness in less than a minute and death follows shortly.
“A Sarco death is painless. There’s no suffocation, choking sensation or ‘air hunger’ as the user breathes easily in a low-oxygen environment. The sensation is one of well-being and intoxication,” wrote the company’s founder Philip Nitschke for Huffington Post.
There has been a lot of talk on assisted suicide and there are many factions, some in favor of it and some against it. Nitschke, however, believes that it is a civil right and a person is free to do as he chooses.
“The Sarco is intended to get people talking positively about death and with broader considerations than being afraid, scared or shocked,” says the press statement. “After all we are all going to die. Increasing numbers of us want some say in how we are going to die.”
 at the Amsterdam’s Funeral Fair. It allows the person to step inside a full-size depiction of the euthanasia capsule and experience death in virtual reality. According to the doctor, the plans for 3D printing the capsule […]&media=https://wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Suicide-machine.jpg){kind=link}
The SARCO It is a complete fantasy, a pretty photoshop job and a badly made mock-up. It is yet another device Nitschke is using to promote membership of Exit, his website and sales of the Peaceful Pill Handbook.
He used exactly the same tactic when he promoted the Destiny Machine, another figment of his wild imagination.
Just look at the practicalities. Starting with the blindingly obvious. A 3D printer capable of printing such a beast would need to be the size of a small truck, would not fit into most houses and would be prohibitively expensive. Don’t even start me on the technicalities of the computer, power supply, gas valves, etc., etc.
It is complete nonsense. This does not in any way invalidate questions when it comes to euthanasia, but one should definitely question Nitschke’s continual exploitation of the vulnerable.
Whatever Nitschke’s initial motives, all probably positive, he has since become a charlatan and con artist.