Looking for sensor to measure someones breathing.

Hi all,

I'm an industrial design student and I am currently working on an interactive lamp that helps people to improve their breathing.

The lamps moves on his own, it can changes it own light intensity. I want to create the impression that it lives.

The interaction to improve the breathing works as follows:

  1. The lamps moves towards you and dims it own light.
  2. You have to breath slowly directly into the lamp to give it life again.
  3. You continue doing this for several times and it lives again for a x-amount of hours.

At the moment I'm looking for different sensors that I can use to measure someone's breathing. Unfortunately I haven't figured this out. I was hoping somebody could give me advice on what sensors to use for this project. It would be great if the sensor is able to measure the difference between fast breathing and slow breathing.

Thanks a lot.

see - http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=196431.0 -
maybe contact the OP

There are more posts about breath detection in the arduino archive, use the search button in the upper right

For future references:

I manage to create a system in which I am able to detect breathing, slow and fast breathing, with the use of a microphone sensor in combination with a heat sensor. It does not provide detailed and accurate values. It took me some time to fine tune and calibrate the sensors. However this works perfect for my purpose.

thanks a lot

What is the heat sensor you used? A link? I am thinking about a temperature sensor. If you breath across it, temperature drops. Someone made such a thing a while back, with an LED as candle on a cup cake and temperature sensor. If you blow air across it, the LED candle goes out.

I use a 10k thermistor. (Using a Thermistor | Thermistor | Adafruit Learning System)
Sorry I forgot to mention this in my earlier reply, I'm new here.

Could you post me the link to the candle blowing topic?

I'll update this thread once I complete building the device.

Thanks a lot.