The Euthanasia Coaster is a hypothetical steel roller coaster designed as a euthanasia device to kill its passengers.[1] The concept was conceived in 2010 and made into a scale model by Lithuanian artist Julijonas Urbonas, a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art in London. Urbonas, who has experience as an amusement park employee, stated that the goal of his concept roller coaster is to take lives "with elegance and euphoria".[2] As for practical applications of his design, Urbonas mentioned "euthanasia" or "execution".[3] John Allen, who served as president of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, inspired Urbonas with his description of the "ultimate" roller coaster as one that "sends out 24 people and they all come back dead".[4]
Design
The concept design of the layout begins with a steep-angled lift that takes riders up 500 metres (1,600 ft) to the top,[1] a climb that takes a few minutes to reach allowing the user to contemplate their life.[5][3] For comparison, the tallest roller coaster in the world is Kingda Ka at 139 m (456 ft). From there, the user may exit the coaster. If they do not, they would have some time to say their last words and press a button to continue[5] to a 500 m (1,600 ft) drop which would take the train to 360 kilometres per hour (220 mph; 100 m/s), close to its terminal velocity, before flattening out and speeding into the first of its seven slightly clothoidinversions.[3] Each inversion would have a smaller diameter than the one before in order to maintain the lethal 10 g to passengers while the train loses speed. After a sharp right-hand turn, the train would enter a straight, where unloading of corpses and loading of new passengers could take place.[3]
Mechanism of action
Urbonas (left) and Euthanasia Coaster at HUMAN+ display at the Science Gallery in Dublin.
The Euthanasia Coaster would kill its passengers through prolonged cerebral hypoxia, or insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain.[1] The ride's seven inversions would inflict 10 g (g-force) on its passengers for 60 seconds, causing g-force related symptoms starting with greyout through tunnel vision to black out and eventually g-LOC (g-force induced loss of consciousness).[3] Subsequent inversions or another run of the coaster would serve as insurance against unintentional survival of more robust passengers.[3]
Exhibition
Urbonas's concept drew media attention when shown as part of the HUMAN+ display at the Science Gallery in Dublin from April through June 2011.[1] The display, designated as its 2011 "flagship exhibition" by the Science Gallery,[6] aims to show the future of humans and technology.[7] Within this theme, the Euthanasia Coaster highlights the issues that come with life extension.[8] The item was also displayed at the HUMAN+ exhibit at Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona in 2015.[9]
In pop culture
In 2012, Norwegian rock group Major Parkinson released "Euthanasia Roller Coaster", a digital single with lyrics alluding to Urbonas's Euthanasia Coaster.[10]
^Sheridan, Cormac (15 April 2011). "HUMAN+ Forecasting Our Future". NewScientist Culturelab. Reed Business Information Ltd. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
