An Australian euthanasia activist has developed a machine to help people commit suicide on their own, according to the pro-euthanasia group Exit International. Exit International calls itself an “aid-in-dying organization.”

Exit director Dr. Philip Nitschke and an engineer developed the Sarco euthanasia machine. They promoted it at a conference the group’s NuTech branch ran on “New Technologies for a Peaceful DIY Death” in Toronto, Canada, last month.

NuTech promotes “new technologies in self-deliverance.” Members include Derek Humphry, founder of the early euthanasia group the Hemlock Society, and a former assistant to Jack Kevorkian.

The Sarco Euthanasia Machine

The Sarco can be 3D printed and assembled anywhere. A person who wants to end their life simply takes an online mental questionnaire and obtains an access key to the machine. The machine will “allow anyone who has the access key to peacefully and reliably end their life by simply pressing a button.”

The death bed can be detached from the machine and used as a coffin. The base can be re-used. Exit International’s press release states that “the design criteria for the Sarco will be free, made open-source, and placed on the internet.”

Nitschke said that now any “rational person” can end their life when they choose. The Sarco works by increasing liquid nitrogen which will decrease oxygen. “Sarco does not use any restricted drugs, or require any special expertise such as the insertion of an intraveneous needle,” said Nitschke. “Anyone who can pass the entry test can enter the machine and legally end their life.”