A 3D-printed capsule, destined for use in assisted suicide, may legally be operated in Switzerland, according to advice obtained by Exit International, the organisation that developed the ‘Sarco’ machine.

Why 3D-printed though? Are there any advantages to 3D-printing this object over producing it the old-fashioned way?

Death takes place through hypoxia and hypocapnia, oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation, respectively.

I didn't know carbon dioxide deprivation was even a thing, but apparently it can be quite serious.

The first Sarco is being displayed at the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in Kassel, Germany from September 2021 to February 2022. The second turned out not to be aesthetically pleasing. For that and various other reasons it’s not the best one to use.

I wouldn't be caught dead in an ugly suicide capsule.

Our aim is to develop an artificial intelligence screening system to establish the person’s mental capacity. Naturally there is a lot of scepticism, especially on the part of psychiatrists. But our original conceptual idea is that the person would do an online test and receive a code to access the Sarco.

I'm not a psychiatrist, but I am a software developer, and I think this sounds like a terrible idea.

You are based in the Netherlands. How will you potentially enter the Swiss market?

So weird to see assisted suicide described as a market, but I guess it is. 1,300-ish people chose assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2020, and they probably didn't see much reason to be cheap about it. It's not like they need their money in the afterlife.