The Euthanasia Coaster was born from a project of 2010. This particular attraction was conceived on paper by Lithuanian engineer and designer Julijonas Urbonas.
Have you ever thought of a striking way to die? According to its creator, these particular roller coasters would serve to die with elegance and euphoria and could be used both as a method of euthanasia and as a death penalty.
The origin of Euthanasia Coaster
The engineer said he drew inspiration directly from the president of the Philapelphia Toboggan Company, one of the oldest roller coaster construction companies.
John Allen dreamed of owning the Euthanasia Coaster, a real roller coaster death ride, with a capacity of 24 passengers who would leave alive to return dead.
The project was noticed in 2011, during its exhibition at the Science Gallery in Dublin.
How it works
The wagon with the passengers, still alive, begins by heading towards a steep climb of 510 meters. This height allows a descent with the speed of 360 km per hour, necessary to be able to continue in the second part of the “attraction”. Once the descent has been made, the wagon heads towards several loop, one with a smaller diameter than the previous one. At the end of this series of circles the trolley arrives on a straight line with the passengers now dead.
How does death happen?
Death on Euthanasia Coaster would occur due to a lack of oxygen in the brain (cerebral hypoxia). The series of loops would cause loss of consciousness and then death.
There have been several criticisms of this idea, especially from the association “Care Not Killing”, which fights against euthanasia, although Euthanasia Coaster is only the idea of an artist and not a project to be realized.
Below you will find a video explaining how it would be a ride on this macabre attraction.
Interview with the creator
Vice.com asked the very creator Julijonas Urbonas a few questions.
What was the original inspiration behind the Euthanasia Coaster?
There are actually several sources of inspiration. They are quite different, but they all have something in common. The key ones might be stopping the progress of roller coasters, the extinction of death rituals and the current development of science fiction design.
Your website described the death of the roller coaster as “elegant”, which I thought was really interesting. How did you design an “elegant” experience?
In the project description, I combine the term “pleasure” with “elegance” to refer to both the physiological definition and the aesthetic and ethical definition of pleasure. During the entrance of the first loop of the rollercoaster, the client would experience the loss of consciousness induced by the GLOC-G force, as well as the cerebral hypoxia that is usually accompanied by euphoria.
Would you choose it as a method of euthanasia or would you approve it as a death penalty?
