Euthanasia Coaster

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Euthanasia Coaster
Euthanasia coaster profile.svg
Track profile of the Euthanasia Coaster, showing its 500 m (1,600 ft) lift hill and seven clothoid inversions
General statistics
Type Steel
DesignerJulijonas Urbonas
Model Strata coaster
Lift/launch system Cable lift hill
Height500 m (1,600 ft)
Length7,544 m (24,751 ft)
Speed360 km/h (220 mph)
Inversions 7
Duration3:20
G-force 10

The Euthanasia Coaster is the name given to a hypothetical steel roller coaster and euthanasia device designed with the sole purpose of killing 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.

Contents

Urbonas, who had formerly been an amusement park employee, stated that the goal of his concept roller coaster is to take lives "with elegance and euphoria", [2] either for euthanasia or execution purposes. [3] John Allen, who had been the 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] (for comparison, the tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka, has a top cap that is 139 metres [456 ft] in height), a climb that would take a few minutes to complete, allowing the passengers to contemplate their life. [5] [3] From there, all passengers are given the choice to exit the train, if they wish to do so. If they do not, they would have some time to say their last words.

All passengers are required to press a button to continue the ride, which then takes the train down a 500 m (1,600 ft) drop, propelling the train at speeds up 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 clothoid inversions. [3] Each inversion would decrease in diameter to maintain the lethal 10 g onto passengers as the train loses speed. After a sharp right-hand turn, the train would enter a straight track that goes back to the station, where the dead are unloaded and new passengers can board. [3]

Mechanism of action

Urbonas (left) and Euthanasia Coaster at HUMAN+ display at the Science Gallery in Dublin Urbonas and Euthanasia Coaster.jpg
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, g-LOC (g-force induced loss of consciousness) and eventually death. [3] Subsequent inversions or a second run of the rollercoaster would serve as insurance against unintentional survival of more robust passengers. [3]

Exhibition

The Euthanasia Coaster was first shown as part of the HUMAN+ display at the Science Gallery in Dublin in 2011. [1] The display was later named the year's flagship exhibition by the Science Gallery. [6] [7] Within this theme, the 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]

Sequoia Nagamatsu's novel How High We Go in the Dark, published on January 18, 2022, prominently features a euthanasia roller coaster for children afflicted with an incurable plague. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller coaster</span> Rail-based amusement park ride

A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements usually designed to produce a thrilling experience. Trains consist of open cars connected in a single line, and the rides are often found in theme parks around the world. Roller coasters first appeared in the 17th century, and LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, based on the Switchback Railway which opened a year earlier at Coney Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertical loop</span> Roller coaster inversion

The generic roller coaster vertical loop, also known as a Loop-the-loop, or a Loop-de-loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller coaster inversion</span> Roller coaster element

A roller coaster inversion is a roller coaster element in which the track turns riders upside-down and then returns them to an upright position. Early forms of inversions were circular in nature and date back to 1848 on the Centrifugal railway in Paris. These vertical loops produced massive g-force that was often dangerous to riders. As a result, the element eventually became non-existent with the last rides to feature the looping inversions being dismantled during the Great Depression. In 1975, designers from Arrow Development created the corkscrew, reviving interest in the inversion during the modern age of steel roller coasters. Elements have since evolved from simple corkscrews and vertical loops to more complex inversions such as Immelmann loops and cobra rolls. The Smiler at Alton Towers holds the world record for the number of inversions on a roller coaster with 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrow Dynamics</span> Defunct American roller coaster manufacturer

Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (1946–1981) and Arrow Huss (1981–1986), which were responsible for several influential advancements in the amusement and theme park industries. Among the most significant was tubular steel track, which provided a smoother ride than the railroad style rails commonly used prior to the 1960s on wooden roller coasters. The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, built in 1959, was Arrow's first roller coaster project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller coaster train</span> Vehicle on an amusement park ride

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemesis Reborn</span> Inverted coaster at Alton Towers

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galactica (roller coaster)</span> Flying coaster at Alton Towers

Galactica is a flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers amusement park in Staffordshire, England. It originally opened as Air on 16 March 2002 and is the first flying coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Guests ride in a prone position, meant to produce the feeling of flight, as the train passes close to the ground, under footpaths, and narrowly past trees and rocks. The ride was refurbished for the 2016 season and reopened as Galactica. It features an 840-metre-long (920 yd) track and reaches a maximum speed of 75 km/h.

<i>Nemesis Inferno</i> Steel inverted roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcano: The Blast Coaster</span> Defunct roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Volcano: The Blast Coaster, or simply Volcano, was an inverted launched roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was the first launched roller coaster manufactured by Intamin and the first of its kind in the world to be inverted. Its launch mechanism utilized linear induction motor (LIM) technology. After a series of delays, Volcano opened to the public on August 3, 1998. A portion of the ride was enclosed inside an artificial mountain, constructed in 1979, which previously housed other attractions. Following nearly two decades of operation, Volcano abruptly closed a few weeks into the 2018 season, and the closure became permanent during the following offseason. In 2024, Rapterra, a launched wing coaster, was announced to replace Volcano.

NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulation is a software package available for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X designed and built by a team of programmers and artists led by German programmer Ole Lange. It was first released in November 2001. The package includes two separate pieces of software, the NoLimits Editor and NoLimits Simulator, with a third application of the game, the NoLimits Terraformer supported as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy Island (UK amusement park)</span> A Resort Theme Park on the East Coast of Lincolnshire.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gold Coaster</span> Steel roller coaster at Dreamworld

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Odyssey (UK Roller Coaster)</span> Roller coaster in Ingoldmells, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Smiler</span> Roller coaster in Staffordshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Taipan</span> Launched roller coaster at Dreamworld

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sik (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Solon, Olivia (6 April 2011). "The Future of the Human Species Explored". WIRED Science. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  2. ↑ Lamar, Cyriaqe (18 April 2011). "The Euthanasia Coaster, the Last Roller Coaster You'll Ever Ride". Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Euthanasia Coaster". 2 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "A Rollercoaster Designed to Kill Humanely". DesignTaxi. Halls Create Arts Pte Ltd. 20 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  5. ↑ Urbonas, Julijonas (2010). "Julijonas Urbonas". julijonasurbonas.lt.
  6. ↑ "HUMAN+ The Future of Our Species". Trinity College Dublin. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Gorman, Michael John (22 April 2011). "HUMAN+ explores the technologically enhanced future of our species". Notes and Theories: Dispatches from the Science Desk. Guardian News and Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  9. ↑ "Human+". CCCB. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Major Parkinson er tilbake" Archived 11 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine Bergensavisen. Bergensavisen AS 23 July 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013
  11. ↑ “Strap in for highs and lows with the pandemic novel 'How High We Go in the Dark'“. Retrieved 26 August 2024.

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