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Published 15:58 16 Jul 2026 GMT
A controversial concept for a rollercoaster designed to end its riders' lives has sparked debate, but one leading neuroscientist believes the experience would be far less pleasant than its creator suggests.
The so-called Euthanasia Rollercoaster was conceived by Lithuanian artist and designer Julijonas Urbonas, who envisioned a ride capable of killing passengers by exposing them to sustained, extreme gravitational forces.
According to Urbonas, the ride would accelerate to around 100 metres per second, subjecting riders to 10G while sending them through seven consecutive loops.
Explaining the idea behind the concept, Urbonas said: "Usually pilots experience such extreme forces for just a few seconds, but riders in the rollercoaster experience it for one minute and nobody has experienced this for such a long time."
He claimed the prolonged G-forces would deprive the brain of oxygen by forcing blood towards the lower body.
"Your blood is rushed to your lower extremities so there is a lack of blood in your brain, so your brain starts to suffocate," he explained. "When your brain starts to suffocate, people become euphoric."
However, not everyone agrees with that assessment.
Writing for the Design and Violence blog, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, professor of neuroscience and director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, argued the proposed experience would likely be far more unpleasant than euphoric.
"Unfortunately, the likelihood of any pleasure and euphoria being produced is low; nausea and discomfort would be more probable," Damasio wrote.
On Urbonas' website, the project is described as a conceptual "kinetic sculpture" designed to explore the limits of the human body rather than simply function as an amusement ride.
The description states: "The rider is subjected to a series of intensive motion elements that induce various unique experiences: from euphoria to thrill, and from tunnel vision to loss of consciousness, and, eventually, death."
It continues: "Thanks to the marriage of the advanced cross-disciplinary research in aeronautics/space medicine, mechanical engineering, material technologies and, of course, gravity, the fatal journey is made pleasing, elegant and meaningful."
The concept concludes by describing itself as: "Celebrating the limits of the human body, this 'kinetic sculpture' is in fact the ultimate roller coaster."
Although Urbonas has previously suggested the design could theoretically be used to "control populations," he has repeatedly maintained that the project was created as a piece of speculative art intended to provoke discussion about euthanasia, mortality and technology, rather than as a serious proposal for a functioning ride.
Responding to Damasio's criticism, Urbonas defended the broader artistic message behind the concept rather than the scientific claims.
"(Euthanasia) is executed in an extremely boring fashion, proposing 'humane' voluntary death could be more meaningful, personal, ritualistic," he said.
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The man behind an infamous ‘euthanasia coaster’ that kills all who ride it has revealed the reason that he designed it in the first place.
It’s a fascinating thought experiment - if a little dark - but Julijonas Urbonas explained his reasoning.
Urbonas is certainly an interesting character - he’s an artist-researcher most famous for designing his remarkable euthanasia coaster, a theoretical theme park ride designed to kill anyone who boards it.
This ‘hypothetical death machine’ - as he calls it - was devised when he was studying for an engineering PhD.
He used to work at a theme park, so that clearly impacted his thinking as well.
The premise is simple - the roller coaster gets up to remarkable speeds of over 220 miles per hour, catapulting riders through loops on a 1,600-foot drop to the grave.
The idea is that the G-forces of the speed and loops would reach over 10, which would be enough to cause - Urbonas said - a ‘painless’ death.
It’s never been brought into reality, but plenty of simulations have been run and it certainly captures the public imagination.
But, why did he design it in the first place?
The former Royal College of Art student explained that his novel idea could actually thin out the world’s exploding population.
However, he did add that people would board voluntarily.
There would also be a button that riders would have to press in order to commence the huge 1,600-foot drop at the start.
He described it as a ‘humane’ death, as the loops would cause blood to pool in the lower extremities, decreasing flow to the brain and eventually causing loss of consciousness.
Eventually, the brain would shut down through lack of oxygen.
He added: "In a few words, humour here eases, facilitates the stressful debate, but also proposes the ritual of death could be merrier."
While we’ve never seen the roller coaster in real life, and - to be honest - we might never see it, there are simulations that show what would happen, often from pretty shocking perspectives.
In one simulation, shared by user @ridesnslides, the video shows the ride’s mechanics and visual experience.
The video begins with a slow ascent to just shy of the tallest building in America.
Once at the peak, riders are given a final choice: descend safely or continue. If they choose the latter, each must manually press a button to initiate the ride.
The inversions are engineered with progressively smaller diameters to maintain a constant force of 10Gs - far beyond what most human bodies can withstand.
For comparison, Formula 1 drivers experience just over 6Gs during sharp turns, and Apollo 16 astronauts encountered 7.19Gs during re-entry.
“You would gradually begin experiencing worsening cases of cerebral hypoxia, meaning your blood would rush to the lower parts of your body, and so your brain wouldn’t be getting enough oxygen to survive,” the user said, cited by Vice.
“The first thing that you would notice is your vision greying out, which would then gradually turn to tunnel vision. From there, you would begin experiencing a blackout, and ultimately, you would eventually lose consciousness and die," they added.
Published 16:22 27 May 2025 GMT
A terrifying simulation has given viewers a front-seat experience of what it would be like to ride the infamous euthanasia rollercoaster that "kills everyone".
First introduced in 2010 by Lithuanian designer and artist Julijonas Urbonas, the rollercoaster has been described as a "hypothetic death machine in the form of a roller coaster, engineered to humanely, with elegance and euphoria, take the life of a human being".
While it has never been built, a TikTok simulation now offers a terrifyingly realistic look at how such a ride, which reportedly holds 24 passengers, might play out.
A simulation shows what it would be like to ride the euthanasia rollercoaster. Credit: Claudiad / Getty
Shared by user @ridesnslides, the video simulates the ride’s mechanics and visual experience.
The video begins with a slow ascent to a towering 510 feet, just shy of the tallest building in America.
Once at the peak, riders are given a final choice: descend safely or continue. If they choose the latter, each must manually press a button to initiate the ride.
Watch the simulation below:
The inversions are engineered with progressively smaller diameters to maintain a constant force of 10Gs - far beyond what most human bodies can withstand.
For comparison, Formula 1 drivers experience just over 6Gs during sharp turns, and Apollo 16 astronauts encountered 7.19Gs during re-entry.
“You would gradually begin experiencing worsening cases of cerebral hypoxia, meaning your blood would rush to the lower parts of your body, and so your brain wouldn’t be getting enough oxygen to survive,” the user said, cited by Vice.
“The first thing that you would notice is your vision greying out, which would then gradually turn to tunnel vision. From there, you would begin experiencing a blackout, and ultimately, you would eventually lose consciousness and die," they added.
Originally designed as a theoretical project while Urbonas was a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art in London, a scale model of the rollercoaster was unveiled in 2011 at Dublin’s Science Gallery as part of the HUMAN+ exhibit.
The project went on to win the Public Prize of New Technological Art at Update 2013 and has since become a “unique media phenomenon".
The idea of using engineered devices to aid in euthanasia has gained wider attention in recent years. Another controversial concept is the “Sarco machine,” developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder of the euthanasia advocacy group Exit International.
In an interview with SWI swissinfo.ch given in 2021, Nitschke explained: “It’s a 3-D printed capsule, activated from the inside by the person intending to die," cited by Right to Life.
“The machine can be towed anywhere for the death. The person will get into the capsule and lie down… They will be asked a number of questions, and when they have answered, they may press the button inside the capsule, activating the mechanism in their own time," he said.
“The person will get into the capsule and lie down… They will be asked a number of questions, and when they have answered, they may press the button inside the capsule, activating the mechanism in their own time," he continued.
Describing the actual manner of death, Nitschke said: “The capsule is sitting on a piece of equipment that will flood the interior with nitrogen, rapidly reducing the oxygen level to 1 per cent from 21 per cent in about 30 seconds.
"The person will feel a little disoriented and may feel slightly euphoric before they lose consciousness. Death takes place through hypoxia and hypocapnia, oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation, respectively”.
Published 20:09 24 Nov 2024 GMT
A bone-chilling simulation illustrates what it's like to ride the euthanasia rollercoaster.
The controversial concept of the "euthanasia rollercoaster" was first proposed in 2010 by Lithuanian artist Julijonas Urbonas.
According to The Mirror, Urbonas created a scale model of the frightening idea as a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art in London.
It was unveiled in 2011 as part of the HUMAN+ display in Dublin where it became the flagship exhibition at the Science Gallery.
TikToker Luke Davidson explained that the ride holds 24 passengers. "Once they're all on board there's a slow ascent to the top, which is 510ft in the air - that's just a little bit smaller than the tallest building in America," he continued.
"Once they're at the top it gives everyone the decision to stop and go back down safely. After that, everyone has to manually press a button to start the ride," he added.
While the "euthanasia rollercoaster" doesn't exist in reality, a terrifying simulation of this ride has been shared online, allowing viewers to experience it virtually.
The clip, shared by user @ridesnslides on TikTok, shows what a long-hypothesized and literal death contraption would look like.
Watch the clip below:
The ride begins with a 1,640-foot drop, reaching speeds exceeding 220 mph. This is followed by seven increasingly smaller inversion loops, designed to maintain a constant 10G force, ultimately leading to the rider's demise.
“You would gradually begin experiencing worsening cases of cerebral hypoxia, meaning your blood would rush to the lower parts of your body, and so your brain wouldn’t be getting enough oxygen to survive,” the user said, cited by Vice.
“The first thing that you would notice is your vision greying out which would then gradually turn to tunnel vision. From there, you would begin experiencing a blackout and ultimately you would eventually lose consciousness and die," they added.
Many users have shared their reactions to the scary simulation. One person remarked that they would've "died before falling" due to how frightening it is to reach the top of the rollercoaster.
Another questioned: "What if you didn’t [die] do you get a second go around ?" and the third said: "Screw that".
The designer's official website describes the coaster as "a hypothetic death machine in the form of a roller coaster, engineered to humanely - with elegance and euphoria - take the life of a human being".
Published 16:19 23 Apr 2018 GMT
Should we have the right to die? It's a divisive question and one that regularly sparks furious debate among friends, family and strangers. In 2017, Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll asserted that 73 per cent of Americans supported euthanasia, the highest levels seen since 2005. Regardless, it appears that euthanasia is ultimately an issue that the country as a whole will never agree on.
With this in mind, the arrival of a controversial "suicide machine" is sure to spark debate about the rights and wrongs of assisted suicide. The machine in question is officially named as a "Sacrophagus" (or Sarco for short) and went on display at the Amsterdam funeral show in late April, drawing large crowds and causing concern among detractors of assisted suicide.
The inventor responsible is 70-year-old euthanasia activist Doctor Philip Nitschke, who has been dubbed "Doctor Death" for creating the 3D-printed device that fills with gas in order to end a person's life. Officially announced by Nitschke's Exit International foundation in February, the machine comes in two parts: a reusable machine base and a capsule that can be detached and used as a coffin.
The portable machine works by filling a capsule with nitrogen, which induces hypoxic death to the occupant, with its creator claiming that it provides people with a quick and painless death, saying: “The person who wants to die presses the button and the capsule is filled with nitrogen. He or she will feel a bit dizzy but will then rapidly lose consciousness and die... A Sarco death is painless. There’s no suffocation, choking sensation or air hunger as the user breathes easily in a low-oxygen environment. The sensation is one of well-being and intoxication."
Before being able to put it into service, the prospective user will reportedly be asked to pass an online test to show that they are in a sane state of mind and desire to die of their own volition. After this, they will allegedly receive a capsule access code that's valid for 24 hours. People who tested it at the Amsterdam funeral show were able to use VR glasses choose a view of the Alps or the sea as the last thing they see, before pressing the suicide button, which will turn everything black.
However, to make the device even more revolutionary for those wishing to end their life, the Sarco will also be able to be operated by the blink of an eye. When asked if his creation would cater for those who had conditions that made them unable to speak or move, such as British man Tony Nicklinson who suffered from locked-in syndrome, Nitschke stated: “While he may have needed some help to get into the machine, the actual action that initiated the flow of gas could be controlled by Tony."
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Predictably though, not everyone is thrilled at the arrival of the Sarco. The machine has been heavily criticised by euthanasia opponents who have likened it to the gas chambers used in the Holocaust, with Twitter user Devin Sena writing: "73 years after the Holocaust, people are now inviting others to *volunteer* to be gassed to death in the name of ‘freedom.’ We can’t let euthanasia touch America." In addition, user Mylo Hebron wrote: "There is something terribly wrong with us.. We are willing to spend so much money on a suicide machine rather than putting our money in the right places so we give people a reason to live.. Naahh, this is just wrong."
Dr Nitschke, who co-designed the device with Dutch designer Alexander Bannink, accepts that there is still opposition to his methods, saying: “Gas may never be an acceptable method for assisted suicide in Europe due to the negative connotations of the Holocaust. Some have even said that it’s just a glorified gas chamber.”
Asked further about the controversy surrounding euthanasia and legal hurdles, Nitschke said: "In many countries suicide is not against the law, only assisting a person to commit suicide is. This is a situation where one person chooses to press a button… rather than for instance standing in front of a train. I believe it’s a fundamental human right (to choose when to die). It’s not just some medical privilege for the very sick. If you’ve got the precious gift of life, you should be able to give that gift away at the time of your choosing."
Recognised for his dedicated work to legalise euthanasia, Nitschke was the first doctor in the world to administer a legal, voluntary, lethal injection. After a successful campaign to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory, he successfully assisted four people in ending their lives before the law was overturned by the Government of Australia. In addition, he has developed machines in the past that could be used by individuals to inject themselves with lethal doses of barbiturates.
Despite the controversy, the arrival of the "suicide machine" still won't make a bit of difference when it comes to euthanasia laws across the world. Reportedly, the first fully-functional Sarco device is set to be built later this year in the Netherlands, before being shipped to Switzerland, one of the few countries where assisted suicide is legal. Meanwhile, the battle to legalise assisted suicide rages on.
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