Ready for use in Switzerland, the science behind Sacro machine that assists in suicide

The coffin-shaped machine is a 3D-printed capsule, which is activated from inside once the person gets into the capsule and lies down.

Makers of Sacro suicide capsule, a machine that is designed to assist a willing individual to end one’s life, has claimed to have passed legal review in Switzerland. Developed by Exit International, a non-profit organisation, Sacro pod could be used in assisted suicide, which is not illegal in Switzerland under certain circumstances.The law in Switzerland does not specifically legalise assisted suicide, but it makes assisted suicide punishable only if “selfish motives” are proven in the act.Assisted suicide is not uncommon in Switzerland. According to Exit International, around 1,300 people died by assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2020 using the services of the country’s two largest assisted suicide organisations Exit (separate from Exit International) and Dignitas.

Dr Philip Nitschke, the director of Exit International, is the brain behind the suicide pod.