“And now for something completely
different” is a Monty Python catch phrase which seems both true and inadequate
for the brainchild of a Lithuanian inventor at Imperial College London. Julijonas Urbonas has designed a euthanasia roller coaster. The idea is to die of G-forces
in the
exhilaration of experiencing the ultimate theme park ride. “Thanks to
the marriage of the
advanced cross-disciplinary research in space medicine, mechanical
engineering,
material technologies and, of course, gravity, the fatal journey is made
pleasing, elegant and meaningful.” Mr Urbonas says that it might be
useful for
disposing of over-population or of people who are tired of life. Mr
Urbonas's feasibility study is a macabre jest, of course. But it's
interesting to see the fascination that some people have with enabling
death.