Respiratory System
Explore the airways, lungs, and breathing muscles, and learn how the body moves air in and exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood.
Explore the respiratory system
Use the interactive respiratory guide to explore the airways, lungs, and structures involved in breathing.
Open Innerbody guide →Explore the airways and lungs
Rotate and inspect a 3D model of the trachea, bronchi, and lungs based on CT imaging.
Open model source →Learn it step by step.
Start with the complete respiratory system, then move into the airways, the lungs, gas exchange, and the mechanics of breathing that tie everything together.
The Respiratory System
Build the foundation. Learn what the respiratory system contains, what it transports, and how the airways, lungs, and muscles work together to move air.
Airways
Follow air from the nose and mouth through the pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi.
The Lungs
Explore the lobes of the lungs, the pleura, and the branching airway network inside each lung.
Gas Exchange
Discover how oxygen and carbon dioxide move between the alveoli and the blood.
Breathing Mechanics
Learn how the diaphragm and chest muscles create the pressure changes that move air in and out.
Test Your Knowledge
Finished all five lessons? Take the final Respiratory System assessment and see how much you remember.
Follow the breath.
The easiest way to understand the respiratory system is to follow one continuous journey: air → airways → lungs → blood → body.
The airways
Learn how air travels through the nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi.
The lungs
See how the lungs and alveoli exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood.
The muscles
Understand how the diaphragm and chest muscles create the pressure changes that move air.