Fabrication of a Breathing Assist Device for Saxophone Players with Breathing Problems

The aim of this study was to establish a breathing assist system for saxophone players with breathing problems. Although the saxophone is a popular wind instrument with a reed in its mouthpiece, it can be difficult for people with breathing problems to play this instrument, as it requires adequate breath support for deep and even long breaths. To solve this problem, the authors propose a breathing assist device, which functions like a pneumatic master-slave amplifier, for saxophone players with breathing problems. First, the proposed device is fabricated. Second, the effectiveness of the breathing assist device as a master-slave amplifier is confirmed through experiments. Third, the dynamic characteristics of the device are tested up to 10 Hz, and they demonstrate that the device responds well for up to approximately 5 Hz.