Figit Spinner for Rapid Diagnosis of UTIs

May 18, 2020 by Smiti Munwani

Urinary tract infections infect millions of men, women, and children. If left untreated, the UTI (urinary tract infection) can spread to the bladder and even kidneys. Before treatment, a urine test is used to detect if there is an infection and an antibiotic sensitivity test to check which antibiotic will be effective.

This can take time and doctors often empirically prescribe antibiotics, which may or may not be useful and can lead to antibiotic resistance.



A low-cost, accurate, and easy-to-use fidget spinner-like device can be used at home to detect the infection and also check which medicine will combat the infection.

The urine sample is placed inside the device and, much like a normal fidget spinner, the device is moved using the hand. The urine goes through a membrane and interacts with a dye inside. It requires two spins in a span of 45-50 minutes. The change in color is indicative of the presence or absence of pathogens.

Additionally, the device can perform an antimicrobial sensitivity test for drugs like ciprofloxacin and cefazolin and show which drug will be useful. This test takes two hours.

As the device does not require any complicated lab procedures and can be done at home, it is cost-effective and the patient can receive the appropriate treatment faster.

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