The inventor of the controversial Sarco suicide pod is now developing a new version designed specifically for couples who want to die together, escalating global concern over assisted suicide, artificial intelligence, and the ethics of automated death. The tandem device, dubbed the “Double Dutch” Sarco, is being developed by Australian-born physician Philip Nitschke, who has long advocated for legalized assisted suicide through technological means.
The announcement comes roughly a year after the first known use of the original Sarco pod, a 3D‑printed capsule that kills by flooding its interior with nitrogen gas. That device drew international attention after a 64‑year‑old American woman used it in Switzerland, prompting a police investigation. Authorities later ruled out intentional homicide, but the case ignited intense debate over whether such technology should be permitted at all.
According to reports, the Double Dutch Sarco will be large enough to accommodate two people and will only activate if both occupants press their buttons simultaneously. If either person hesitates, the nitrogen release will not occur. Nitschke has said he is already receiving interest from couples, including one in Britain that reportedly expressed a desire to “die in each other’s arms.”
The original Sarco pod works by replacing oxygen with nitrogen, causing users to lose consciousness within seconds and die shortly afterward. While supporters describe the process as peaceful, critics have likened it to a modernized gas chamber, raising profound moral and historical concerns.
What has drawn particular alarm is Nitschke’s plan to integrate artificial intelligence into the new device. Rather than requiring an in‑person psychiatric evaluation, users would complete an online mental‑capacity assessment conducted by an AI avatar. If the AI determines the user is mentally competent, the device would grant approval to proceed.
Nitschke acknowledged that traditional evaluations were brief even in earlier cases, saying psychiatric reviews often lasted only minutes. Under the new system, however, approval would come from software rather than a human clinician. Those who pass the AI assessment would be given a 24‑hour window to use the pod. After that period, the approval would expire and require a new evaluation.
Nitschke said most components of the Double Dutch Sarco are already built and that the device could be completed within months. However, its future hinges on whether Swiss authorities permit its use. On the day the Sarco pod was first deployed, Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider publicly stated the device was “not legal,” despite no charges being filed in the initial case.
While legal outcomes remain uncertain, the broader debate is intensifying. Critics argue the technology removes human judgment from life‑and‑death decisions, reduces suicide to a consumer product, and risks normalizing despair rather than offering care. As assisted suicide expands into automation and AI, ethical, legal, and spiritual questions are only beginning to surface.
