Sarco is a self-assisted 3D printed coffin-like pod. It works by flooding the interior with nitrogen, slowly reducing the oxygen level to 1 per cent in about 30 seconds.

The pod has been developed by a firm in Switzerland called Exit International, a non-profit firm that has advocated the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia.

Switzerland has legalised assisted suicide since 1942. The country allows physician-assisted suicide without a minimum age requirement, diagnosis or symptom state. In most countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Canada, assisted suicide is only allowed under strict requirements, including whether the person has an incurable or terminal illness.

Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder of the company offers patients a peaceful death. The pod can be transported anywhere including “an Idyllic setting” or desired location. “We want to remove any kind of psychiatric review from the process and allow the individual to control the method themselves. Our aim is to develop an artificial-intelligence screening system to establish the person’s mental capacity. Naturally there is a lot of skepticism, especially on the part of psychiatrists,” he told swissinfo.ch.

The suicide pod is operated by the patient from inside. The patient first needs to answer a series of questions to establish the decision to end their life. And then the patient will be able to press a button, blink or gesture to begin the process.

“The whole thing takes about 30 seconds. Death occurs through hypoxia and hypocapnia, oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation, respectively. There is no panic, no choking feeling,” said Nitschke

The first Sarco prototypes were manufactured with a Bigrep studio 3D printer. The initiative states that biodegradable wood amalgam is used for manufacturing. The upper part of the capsule can also be removed and used as a coffin.

Exit International does not plan to offer Sarco for sale but anyone can print it out at home and assemble it by following the instructions.

Currently there are two prototypes of the Sarco pod but Exit International is 3D printing a third machine that it hopes to be ready for operation in Switzerland next year.