A personal training product driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is set to shake-up the fitness market, after its Kickstarter campaign smashed past the US$100,000 target in just 90-minutes.
Developed by Israeli technology firm LifeBeam – which has previously worked with NASA, Samsung and Under Armour – Vi is an AI-driven wearable which harnesses your data to provide customised two-way fitness coaching.
Part fitness tracker, part smartwatch, part PT, Vi applies AI to your workout data, biometrics and goals to coach you through tailored workout plans which it will also adapt according to terrain, weather and location. As well as talking to you, Vi can also play your favourite music (via Spotify and Apple Music) through its Harman/Kardon-designed headphones and enable you to take phone calls.
The product contains a string of sensors and is worn-around the neck, attached to two headphones which relay workout feedback from Vi and a microphone for the user to speak to her. It also communicates with the user via text message, asking for feedback on mood, sleep quality and body condition, as well as sending motivational notes.
“Part of what we wanted to do with Vi was create an AI unlike any other out there,” said Cliff Chen, LifeBeam creative and experience director.
“We wanted her to have a personality with a little more edge to it and one that felt more human, more real and more personal.”
Having hit its US$100,000 Kickstarter target in little over an hour, Vi has since powered past US$600,000 and still has nearly a month left to run on the site. Early backers can receive a raft of rewards, such as a sizable discount on the US$250 RRP device, which is expected to launch in December 2016.
For the fitness industry – and specifically personal trainers – the challenge now will be to turn a potential threat into an opportunity. With its data-capture ability and emphasis on two-way contact, Vi could serve as a powerful supplementary tool that health clubs and PTs can use to keep consumers engaged in physical activity outside of existing contact. Furthermore, there is a role for the sector to play in sharing its specialist knowledge of exercise and motivation to help broaden and refine the potential of such products, as has been seen by the recent tie-up between Microsoft Band and Nuffield Health.
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