Dr Philip Nitschke’s controversial suicide pod — dubbed the Tesla of euthanasia — has reportedly been used for the first time, triggering several arrests by police.

The arrests followed reports that a 64-year-old woman used the Sarco (short for sarcophagus) in a remote forest in the north of Switzerland.

Cast along sleek, aerodynamic lines, the pod releases nitrogen gas which lowers the amount of oxygen to around 1% when the occupant inside presses a button.

The design was originally the brainchild of Dr Nitschke, the former Australian GP and euthanasia campaigner, based on the idea that it was a drug-free alternative to the typical medical euthanasia methods and carried no risk of vomiting.