Real-Time Breath Detection in the Browser: Spectral Centroid, Dual-Path State Machines, and a Nasty iOS Bug

📰 Dev.to · Felix Zeller

Learn to detect breath in real-time using browser microphone and spectral centroid analysis

intermediate Published 12 Apr 2026

Action Steps

Set up a microphone input in the browser using Web Audio API
Implement spectral centroid analysis to extract relevant audio features
Design a dual-path state machine to accurately detect breath patterns
Test and refine the detection algorithm for various breathing patterns and noises

Who Needs to Know This

This technique can be useful for developers and engineers working on health-related web applications, such as respiratory monitoring or meditation tools, to improve user experience and engagement.

Key Insight

💡 Spectral centroid analysis can effectively extract breath patterns from microphone input