A team of researchers in Japan has developed a briefcase-sized portable dialysis system for use by those who suffer from renal disease, hoping it may prove a life-saver during disasters when medical care is difficult to access.

Measuring 30 centimeters tall, 18 centimeters wide and 12 centimeters deep, the apparatus weighs 3-4 kilograms, including batteries. That makes it far smaller than conventional portable dialysis machines that are about the size of a mini fridge, according to the team.

The instrument is equipped with a hemofilter that is one-eighth the size of its standard equivalent, and a blood-drawing pump about the size of a $1 coin. Both of the miniaturized elements helped reduce the machine's overall size, the team said.