Suicide pod 'Sarco' to be used for the first time in Switzerland?

An assisted dying group expects a portable suicide pod to be used for the first time in Switzerland, providing death without medical supervision.

The space-age looking Sarco capsule, first unveiled in 2019, replaces the oxygen inside it with nitrogen, causing death by hypoxia.

The 3D-printable capsule cost more than 650,000 euros ($710,000) to research and develop in the Netherlands over 12 years.

The Last Resort organisation said it saw no legal obstacle to its use in Switzerland, where the law generally allows assisted suicide if the person commits the lethal act themselves.

The person wishing to die must first pass a psychiatric assessment of their mental capacity.

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.

" 'If you want to die', the voice says in the processor, 'Press this button'," said Sarco inventor Philip Nitschke, a leading global figure in right-to-die activism.

"Within two breaths of air of that low level of oxygen, they will start to feel disorientated, uncoordinated and slightly euphoric before losing consciousness," Nitschke said.

"They will then stay in that state of unconsciousness for... around about five minutes before death will take place," Nitschke added.

The minimum age limit is set at 50, though if someone over 18 was seriously ill, "we would not want to deny a suffering person based on their age", said lawyer Fiona Stewart, who is on The Last Resort's advisory board.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.