University of the Philippines Diliman graduates Andrew Jacob Buensalido and Allyson Cabrestante have been named the Philippine national winners of the James Dyson Award 2026 for developing a low-cost, semi-automated peritoneal dialysis machine designed to make home-based treatment more accessible.
Their invention, BiDaKidney, aims to ease the manual work involved in dialysis treatment and help patients and caregivers manage the procedure at home, addressing challenges related to cost, distance, and the demands of repeated treatment.
The national winners will receive ₱398,280 to support the machine’s further development and commercialization.
The James Dyson Award is an international design competition for young problem-solvers that celebrates engineering and design solutions to real-world challenges. It is run by the James Dyson Foundation, the engineering-education charity of inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir James Dyson.
BiDaKidney was developed for patients with chronic kidney disease who can receive peritoneal dialysis (PD) at home but still need to manage a highly manual and repetitive process.
Unlike hemodialysis, which typically filters blood through a machine in a dialysis center, PD uses the lining of the abdomen as a natural filter and can be carried out outside a clinical setting.
The process still requires fluid exchanges, monitoring, and record-keeping.
BiDaKidney is designed to automate key parts of managing the flow of dialysis fluid. It works with standard PD supplies, using a controlled pump and built-in weight sensors to move dialysis fluid and track fluid volume during treatment.
The machine aims to reduce the need for patients and caregivers to manually manage fluid flow, repeatedly handle tubing and record fluid volumes by hand.
The team said this could help reduce manual work, contamination risks and the burden of record-keeping at home.
“When we started BiDaKidney, we were thinking about how we could help patients spend less of their lives managing dialysis and more of their time living it,” Mr. Buensalido said. “If treatment at home can become simpler, safer, and cheaper, patients may be able to continue their care with greater confidence and independence, while easing some of the responsibility carried by their families.”
Following positive feedback from PD nurses and nephrologists at a tertiary government hospital, the team plans to refine the machine’s usability and safety features, explore battery-powered operation for local power interruptions, and prepare for formal clinical testing and broader patient evaluation.
“The award means a lot because it helps us continue building BiDaKidney with the people who may need it one day in mind,” Ms. Cabrestante said.
“There are still many things we want to improve, and the prize gives us room to do that work properly,” he said
The Philippine national winners were joined by two runners-up focused on public safety and rehabilitation.
Sentinel is a building damage sensor designed to detect cracks and internal damage in concrete through changes in electrical resistance.
The invention uses conductive materials such as graphene and carbon fiber in concrete spacer blocks to produce measurable electrical signals when the concrete is damaged.
This allows structural health to be connected to an online monitoring system for earlier, remote detection.
OrthoFlex is a portable, robot-assisted elbow rehabilitation device designed to support safe and repeatable elbow movement for stroke survivors.
The device features adjustable arm supports and a wireless mobile interface that patients and caregivers can use in clinics or at home. It is intended to complement rehabilitation with a physical therapist.
All three Philippine entries will advance to the international stage of the James Dyson Award.
A global team of Dyson engineers will select the international Top 20 shortlist, which will be announced on Oct. 14. Mr. Dyson will then select the global winners, to be announced on Nov. 4.
Each global winner will receive ₱2,390,230, while each national winner receives ₱398,280.
Now in its 21st year, the James Dyson Award has supported more than 400 problem-solving inventions with over £1.5 million (P126,773,000) in prize money. It operates across 28 countries and regions. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba
