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25th Jan 2025

Man designed euthanasia rollercoaster that ‘kills anyone who rides it’

Charlie Herbert

The ride is purely hypothetical

A man has designed a ‘euthanasia rollercoaster’ that would kill anyone who rides it.

The macabre invention came from the mind of Lithuanian designer Julijonas Urbonas. He wanted to come up with an exhilarating but humane way that someone could voluntarily end their life if they wanted to.

Urbonas has previously described the rollercoaster 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.”

He explained: “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.”

The ride has never been built and is a purely hypothetical design, with Urbonas telling Arterritory back in 2016: “I would consider the coaster… neither unreal nor real, but somewhere in between.”

However, he has claimed to have been contacted by individuals who would be up for experiencing the ride if it were ever built, although Urbonas has made it clear he never intends to pursue this.

“I want to stress that I do not encourage assisted suicide, nor do I discourage [it],” he has previously said.

“I just state the fact that euthanasia is legal in some countries and it is executed in an extremely boring fashion, proposing ‘humane’ voluntary death could be more meaningful, personal, ritualistic.”

The design for the so-called ‘euthanasia rollercoaster’ (Julijonas Urbonas)

The rollercoaster would work by gradually subjecting the person riding it to increasing G-force, to the point that they would eventually pass out and die.

The ride would start with a huge 510 metre drop – almost the height of the tallest building in the US – before going into several loops that get smaller each time.

TikToker Luke Davidson shared a simulation of what it would be like to ride the rollercoaster.

He said: “Designed by Julijonas Urbonas, the Euthanasia Coaster can accommodate up to 24 passengers. After boarding, the coaster slowly ascends to a height of 510 meters – slightly shorter than the tallest building in the U.S.”

“Once at the top, riders are given the option to stop and return safely. If they choose to proceed, they must manually start the ride.”

“The coaster then plummets at 223 miles per hour through seven loops that progressively decrease in size.”

Davidson explained that the roller coaster’s track “ubjects riders to intense G-forces, resulting in a range of sensations from euphoria to thrill, tunnel vision, and eventually loss of consciousness, culminating in death.”

These huge G-forces end up depriving the brain of oxygen, causing cerebral hypoxia.

“The ride continues until the body is fully numb, ensuring that death occurs. Essentially, the brain dies from lack of oxygen, which is legally recognized as death in many places,” Davidson said.

Another terrifying simulation of the ride came from YouTuber Zbigniew Szczesny. You can watch the haunting video below.