Designer Yidan Xu has created Urify, a dual-purpose toilet cleaning tablet that dissolves in the bowl and changes colour when it detects urinary albumin, an early biomarker of kidney dysfunction. The design transforms a common household cleaning tablet into an early screening tool for kidney disease.
Urify dissolves in the bowl upon flushing and releases a reagent that visibly changes colour if urinary albumin is present a biomarker indicating impaired kidney filtration. Its aim is to alert users to hidden kidney stress before symptoms emerge. To aid interpretation, the kit includes a colour reference wheel and optional computer-vision assist to reduce misreading under varying lighting or water conditions. The tablet is meant for light use, just 1–2 times a year, with each unit active over 3–5 days.
Xu’s motivation stems from seeing her father’s chronic kidney disease go undetected until irreversible damage had been done. By embedding the screening function into a routine bathroom product, she creates a low-friction interface between life and health.
Urify has been shortlisted among the 2025 James Dyson Award Global Top 20 finalists, validating its ambitious union of design, utility, and public health.
