A method for identifying breathing alterations representative of respiratory troubles or conditions, comprising: (a) providing a device comprising: (i) two or three sensor elements, each composed of: - an isolating support formed by a dielectric material; and - a single capacitive transducer formed by interdigitated electrodes, wherein the finger width of said interdigitated electrodes ranges from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the interspace extending between the fingers of said interdigitated electrodes has a width ranging from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the capacitive transducer has a surface area of at least 4 mm 2; wherein the materials of the electrodes or of the isolating support do not absorb water molecules; (ii) a physical interface suitable for transducing a capacitive signal obtained from the sensor elements into an analog or digital signal; wherein said physical interface has a sampling interval frequency of less than 500 Hz, or less than 200 Hz, or about or less than 100 Hz, and wherein said interface has a resolution of about or less than 0.1 pF, preferably about or less than 0.01 pF; (b) placing the device so that a surface of the sensor elements comprising said capacitive transducer is exposed to an exhaled air stream and forms an angle, in a sagittal plane, comprised between about -30° and about +30° with the said exhaled air stream; wherein the sensor elements and the physical interface are configured for determining a respiratory rate and breathing envelope; and wherein the sensor elements are configured to discriminate and/or count water droplets suspended in said exhaled air stream as they deposit on the surface of the capacitive transducer. (a) providing a device comprising: (i) two or three sensor elements, each composed of: - an isolating support formed by a dielectric material; and - a single capacitive transducer formed by interdigitated electrodes, wherein the finger width of said interdigitated electrodes ranges from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the interspace extending between the fingers of said interdigitated electrodes has a width ranging from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the capacitive transducer has a surface area of at least 4 mm 2; wherein the materials of the electrodes or of the isolating support do not absorb water molecules; (ii) a physical interface suitable for transducing a capacitive signal obtained from the sensor elements into an analog or digital signal; wherein said physical interface has a sampling interval frequency of less than 500 Hz, or less than 200 Hz, or about or less than 100 Hz, and wherein said interface has a resolution of about or less than 0.1 pF, preferably about or less than 0.01 pF; (i) two or three sensor elements, each composed of: - an isolating support formed by a dielectric material; and - a single capacitive transducer formed by interdigitated electrodes, wherein the finger width of said interdigitated electrodes ranges from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the interspace extending between the fingers of said interdigitated electrodes has a width ranging from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the capacitive transducer has a surface area of at least 4 mm 2; wherein the materials of the electrodes or of the isolating support do not absorb water molecules; - an isolating support formed by a dielectric material; and - a single capacitive transducer formed by interdigitated electrodes, wherein the finger width of said interdigitated electrodes ranges from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the interspace extending between the fingers of said interdigitated electrodes has a width ranging from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the capacitive transducer has a surface area of at least 4 mm 2; wherein the materials of the electrodes or of the isolating support do not absorb water molecules; wherein the interspace extending between the fingers of said interdigitated electrodes has a width ranging from about 0.5 to about 10 μm; wherein the capacitive transducer has a surface area of at least 4 mm 2; wherein the materials of the electrodes or of the isolating support do not absorb water molecules; (ii) a physical interface suitable for transducing a capacitive signal obtained from the sensor elements into an analog or digital signal; wherein said physical interface has a sampling interval frequency of less than 500 Hz, or less than 200 Hz, or about or less than 100 Hz, and wherein said interface has a resolution of about or less than 0.1 pF, preferably about or less than 0.01 pF; wherein said physical interface has a sampling interval frequency of less than 500 Hz, or less than 200 Hz, or about or less than 100 Hz, and wherein said interface has a resolution of about or less than 0.1 pF, preferably about or less than 0.01 pF; (b) placing the device so that a surface of the sensor elements comprising said capacitive transducer is exposed to an exhaled air stream and forms an angle, in a sagittal plane, comprised between about -30° and about +30° with the said exhaled air stream; wherein the sensor elements and the physical interface are configured for determining a respiratory rate and breathing envelope; and wherein the sensor elements are configured to discriminate and/or count water droplets suspended in said exhaled air stream as they deposit on the surface of the capacitive transducer. wherein the sensor elements and the physical interface are configured for determining a respiratory rate and breathing envelope; and wherein the sensor elements are configured to discriminate and/or count water droplets suspended in said exhaled air stream as they deposit on the surface of the capacitive transducer.