A special coffin which will double a a hospital bed.
When the occupant is pronounced by the attending physician to be very close to death, they are disconnected from any medical equipment and the lid is closed and sealed. An Advance Directive may be required in some jurisdictions.
They then enter a state of quantum uncertainty. When last observed, the occupant was alive; with the lid closed, it is impossible to determine their current state, but they are not definitely dead.
As long as the coffin remains sealed, they are therefore effectively immortal, until the coffin is opened and their wave function collapses.-- 8th of 7, Dec 06 2014 Take your pet with you as well. http://en.wikipedia...C3%B6dinger%27s_catfred's cat [popbottle, Dec 06 2014] Quantum Immortality https://en.wikipedi...ide_and_immortalitywiki article on Quantum Immortality [JakePatterson, Apr 15 2024] This assumes that the collapse of a wave function is an absolute thing.
It is not. Wave function collapse is relative - it can have collapsed for the person in the coffin without its having collapsed for an external observer. Given that Einstein had issues with the whole quantum business, and given that he was OK with the idea of space and time being relative, it's odd that he never considered that wave function collapse would be relative.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 06 2014 Yes, but it's the external observer's opinion that is important.
Since the subject is not provably deceased, they (or their legally appointed deputies) can legitimately continue to claim pensions and other benefits.-- 8th of 7, Dec 06 2014 But they'll lose out on any life insurance. Most people are worth more dead than alive.
[Note to the Intercalary - if you're reading this, I can assure you that I have no significant life insurance policies. Nor has Sturton.]-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 06 2014 One that hopefully far future day, when 8th is close to death, I can see how he might relish being sealed in a box with a cat.-- bungston, Dec 06 2014 Don't build your hopes up. The Collective is intrinsically immortal.-- 8th of 7, Dec 06 2014 Einstein also didn't believe in spooky action at a distance or know about the latest double slit experiments...-- Voice, Dec 07 2014 God damn I miss 8th and Max.-- doctorremulac3, Apr 15 2024 random, halfbakery