WELDING SYSTEM WITH BREATH-BASED CONTROL

A new welding system is provided that makes use of breath of the operator to control one or more operating parameters of the power source or welding machine (or "welder"). The welding system may be configured for arc welding, and the welding machine or welder may include a constant voltage power source with varying current (or vice versa). In such an embodiment, the welding system includes a breath-based controller with a mouthpiece through which the operator can breathe or blow in air. The breath-based controller processes the user's breath to determine user input, and this operator input is communicated to the welder or welding machine (via wired or wireless communication links) to control arc intensity (i.e., current for a constant voltage welding machine) or arc length (i.e., voltage for a constant current welding machine). An operator uses the breath-based controller to remotely control the welding machine with high precision.