People can now end their lives painlessly in 1 minute using suicide pots in Switzerland

The use of the Sarco Suicide Pod – a 3D-printed portable coffin-like capsule with windows — for suicide has recently been legalised in Switzerland.

The pod, which was prototyped in the Netherlands and developed by Exit International, an Australian-based international NGO, resembles a coffin and will be ready for use by 2022.

The Sarco pods can deliver a peaceful death without using controlled substances. In contrast, Switzerland's assisted-dying or voluntary euthanasia sector requires the intake of liquid sodium pentobarbital due to its rapid onset of coma and perception of a peaceful death.

The capsule's design "was meant to create a sense of occasion: of travel to a 'new destination,' and to eradicate any 'bad' element," according to the company's website.

In an interview with SwissInfo, founder of Exit International Dr Philip Nitschke claimed that the Sarco pod — which has the tagline "Go with style" — may be towed to a selected spot by the person who desires to die and activated from the inside.

"The subject will lie down inside the capsule and be asked a few questions before being given time to hit the button that will start the process," he explained.

When the pod is turned on, it fills the interior with nitrogen and rapidly reduces oxygen, causing the person to lose consciousness and eventually die without panic or choking. It takes around a minute to complete the process.

"The benefit for the individual who uses it is that they don't need some special doctor to try to get a needle in, and they don't need to procure difficult medications," Dr Nitschke said during a demonstration last year.

Apart from Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Colombia allow assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia.