Dubbed the Sarco capsule, the machine comes in two parts: a reusable machine base and a capsule that can be detached and turned into a coffin. The invention, developed in the Netherlands, can be built anywhere with the help of a 3-D printer, according to the International Business Times.
"The coffin can be printed with a 3-D printer and uses liquid nitrogen, which can be bought legally. After you have taken your seat inside the machine, nitrogen starts flowing," Nitschke, founder and director of Exit International, an organization whose stated mission is to inform and support people with "their end of life decision-making," explains to Tonic.
However, life isn't over the minute the capsule closes, says Nitschke.
"There is an emergency window that opens right away when you click on it, which allows oxygen to flow into the machine at once," he told the outlet. "Additionally, you can press the stop button up until the moment you lose consciousness."
Before interested parties can even get their hands on this new-age gadget they'll first have to pass a mental questionnaire provided online by Nitschke. After the client's mental health is established, they are then given a four-digit code that will open the capsule, AlterNet reported.
According to the Times, Nitschke was motivated to create Sarco by "a growing demand for choice by the elderly" and the "difficulty and associated legal issues associated with sourcing the best end-of-life drugs."
"These are people who are used to getting their own way, running their own lives," Nitschke told the Big Smoke. "The idea that you can pat these people on the head and say ‘there, there, let the doctors decide' is frankly ridiculous… people's lives are people's lives. Death is a part of that, and so it should be up to them to make the decisions."
The capsule will reportedly be available by the end of 2018.
