My Breathing Buddy is a simulator that makes breathing visible and measurable, helping students and teachers improve focus, wellness, and performance through data-informed learning.

My Breathing Buddy is a 3-D learning simulator that transforms how students and teachers understand one of the body’s most fundamental yet invisible skills: breathing. Designed for K–12 learners, performing arts educators, and wellness instructors, this research-driven tool addresses a long-standing gap in teaching breath mechanics safely, inclusively, and scientifically. Across classrooms, studios, and stages, educators have relied on physical touch to demonstrate posture, diaphragmatic support, and airflow — practices that can create discomfort, risk boundary violations, and exclude learners with sensory or physical differences. My Breathing Buddy replaces touch with visual simulation, empowering teachers to model correct breath mechanics in a safe, evidence-based, and accessible way. "Touchless Teaching."

At its core, My Breathing Buddy is an anatomically accurate, handheld simulator of the lungs, diaphragm, and ribcage made from medical-grade polymer and 3-D printed in a certified facility. When activated, it visibly demonstrates how the diaphragm moves downward during inhalation and how the lungs expand and contract, linking science with sensory learning. This tangible visualization allows educators to teach breath control, posture, and sound production without internet connectivity or invasive touch, making it equally valuable in classrooms, band rooms, or therapy spaces.

My Breathing Buddy is distinct in uniting arts education, health science, and wellness under a single pedagogical innovation. It extends learning beyond verbal instruction, helping visual and kinesthetic learners grasp concepts that were once abstract. Its modular design — including forthcoming extensions like My Tongue and VoiceBox — will expand this “Simulator Toolbox” to teach articulation, voice production, and vibrato, giving students a holistic understanding of sound creation and self-regulation.

Our technology positions My Breathing Buddy for rigorous impact at scale. The device is lightweight, manufacturable , and durable for repeated classroom use. Its modular design supports rapid iteration — mechanical, digital, and future AI-enabled — while maintaining offline accessibility for schools with limited tech infrastructure. Each device serves as both a teaching aid and a research sensor, contributing to open datasets that advance learning science. The companion curriculum book, Anatomy of Sound™, offers structured courses, educator certification, and a reflection journal, ensuring ongoing professional development and longitudinal data collection. In a world where teachers seek safer, more inclusive, and evidence-based methods, My Breathing Buddy™ redefines how we teach the body’s most universal function — the breath that powers every sound, word, and movement. This is the future of "touchless teaching" : accessible, data-driven, and transformative at scale.

My Breathing Buddy scales through a hybrid model of low-cost physical kits and digital learning content, making it adaptable across K–12 classrooms, universities, and community programs. The companion Anatomy of Sound™ curriculum and online certification platform enable broad adoption and teacher training worldwide. Built with universal design principles, the tool integrates easily into arts, health, and science education. Partnerships with educational arts nonprofits, teacher development programs, and university arts performance labs will drive dissemination. As an accessibility-first innovation, MBB’s touchless design and cross-disciplinary applications create strong potential for social impact funding and institutional adoption—positioning it for sustainable, global growth in teaching anatomy, breath control, and emotional regulation through embodied learning.

The My Breathing Buddy™ team unites leaders in music education, medical innovation, and precision manufacturing. Amy Porter, Distinguished Professor of Music (Flute) at the University of Michigan, is an award-winning performer and creator of the Anatomy of Sound™ curriculum, bringing 20 years of pedagogical expertise in breath-based learning. Dr. David Zopf, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Biomedical Engineering, co-invented MBB and ensures its anatomical accuracy through medical 3D printing research. Owen Tien, CEO of Make Medical LLC, manufactures MBB using medical-grade polymers and scalable 3D printing. Together, they combine artistry, science, and engineering to advance safe, inclusive, and research-based education.