We're in the thick of a new era in personal fitness. Millions of us are strapping on Fitbits
and other specialized wearables, counting our steps, and keeping tabs on how active we are. Yet for all their sophisticated engineering, many of these tools are just glorified pedometers. Ten thousand steps sounds great, but other than making me compulsively check my wrist all day, the Fitbit really doesn't provide the kind of motivation I need to get in shape.
That's what the team behind the new Vi headset is aiming to change. This isn't just another fitness wearable you slap on your wrist that passively keeps track of your stats and leaves the rest up to you. Vi actually interacts with you: it coaches you during your personalized workouts (and even finds music to go with them), checks in on how you're feeling afterwards, makes suggestions to improve your routine, and challenges you to meet long-term fitness goals.
The device has more than quadrupled its fundraising goal on Kickstarter since it launched, and a couple weeks ago I had the chance to test it out. Frankly, the folks at Fitbit should be freaking out. I think I just saw the future of exercise. https://www.thrillist.com/tech/nation/why-lifebeam-vi-fitness-wearable-headphones-are-better-than-fitbit/tech
