Featured Image Credit: YouTube / Glenn Paton
Topics: Film, YouTube, Technology, Science
Jess Battison
The man who made a film about a guy dying on the ‘euthanasia rollercoaster’ addressed whether the public should be able to ride it.
Very much hypothetical, the morbid coaster was designed back in 2010 with the purpose to end lives ‘with elegance and euphoria’.
Julijonas Urbonas is the brains behind this bizarre concept, and he’s won awards for his ‘hypothetic death machine’.
And while the thing may not be real, some have called for it to be an option for those seeking assisted dying or euthanasia for their end of life.
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To give people an idea of what it might actually be like to take a trip on the ride you ‘only ride once’, Glenn Paton created a video to demonstrate it, entitled H POSITIVE.
The director explained: “This story examines how the protagonist Mark uses his wealth to help create a euthanasia roller coaster. A roller coaster so powerful, it causes cerebral hypoxia, thus suffocating your brain, ensuring a euphoric death.”
In the video, ‘Mark’ takes on the 220mph coaster with ‘terminal velocity’, which will cause ‘prolonged cerebral hypoxia’ but also ‘pure euphoria’ as the brain is starved of oxygen.
And as he reaches the top, which Urbonas previously explained is where the final decision of death is made, the man questions: “Have I made my mark on the world?”
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He then drops down, heading into the loops as his life comes to an end.
Praising the ‘fantastic short’, users were shocked that the ‘film could induce so many emotions so quickly’.
And others turned their attention to considering it as a real option for assisted dying.
A user commented to say: “I believe it should be a real coaster, for those who are dying and want to die how they want to let them have this as an option.”
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It seems Paton has a similar view, as he responded: “I agree!”
Others said: “I really want this to be real!”
Some called it a ‘real eye-opener’, as it creates a real visual of how Urbonas’ controversial design would work.
The engineer’s initial project would see riders zoom at speeds of up to 223mph across a whopping 1,600ft stretch.
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As seen in the video, Urbonas previously explained his idea: "Riding the coaster's track, 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.
"From there, you would begin experiencing a blackout and ultimately you would eventually lose consciousness and die."