Respira wins Rep. Scott Peters’ 2025 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 50th District

When asked what inspired the creation of Respira, Kayley Xu said, “91, 89, 86…the numbers on the blood oxygen monitor flickered as my lungs fought for air. At thirteen, I battled a severe case of pneumonia. Yet my diagnosis came only after two difficult weeks of doctors’ offices, urgent cares, and ER visits. At each visit, doctors and nurses would listen to my lungs with stethoscopes, and they often came to varying opinions—some said they heard wheezing, while others said my lungs sounded fine. When an X-ray finally revealed that the upper half of my right lung was filled with fluid, I was hospitalized immediately.

“After recovering—thanks to a week of oxygen and IVs—I started to wonder why the doctors couldn’t agree on my breathing condition. I was curious to investigate how auscultation interpretation was regarded by the larger medical community—and it’s underwhelming. I found that the World Health Organization guidelines don’t even recommend that their frontline health workers use auscultation in pneumonia diagnosis, not because it lacks value, but due to the same issue that I experienced—’inter-observer variability.’ Additionally, physicians often have time to listen to only one or two breathing cycles, which may not reflect the patient’s true condition. These inconsistencies can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses—an issue that inspired me to develop more affordable solutions with greater accuracy and consistency.

“As I investigated further, I was surprised to find that this critical challenge remains under-researched. Even the world’s largest respiratory sound dataset lacks diversified, balanced, and sufficient samples. This further solidified my resolve—I set out to develop solutions to make respiratory sound interpretation more consistent and reliable. The result became Respira, an AI-powered app that classifies respiratory sounds and provides accessible, data-driven insight into lung health.

“The idea for Respira’s therapeutic breathing game came from my own journey of recovering from pneumonia. My doctors instructed me to perform breathing exercises multiple times a day (taking deep inhales and exhaling for as long as I can), but sitting in a hospital bed to breathe is not very fun for a 13-year-old. I wanted to turn those dull, repetitive exercises into something I would have actually enjoyed—something playful, motivating, and healing. That idea became the foundation of Respira’s breathing game, designed to help patients, especially kids, stay consistent and recover with confidence. What started with my own illness has evolved into a mission to make respiratory care more accurate, engaging, and compassionate.”