The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
Headphones have come a long way over the last few years. Many of them are now wireless, many others are also either noise-cancelling or sweatproof, and a few let you seamlessly share music with your friends.
The latest headphone innovation comes from a company called Vi. The company's wireless earbuds come equipped with a voice-activated AI personal trainer. CEO Omri Yoffee thought of the idea when he was a pilot, specializing in aerospace engineering.
"I was passionate about building scalable bio-sensing technology which could be embedded into different wearable form factors and empower people around the world to know their body better and live better, safer lives," Yoffee told Business Insider. "It was pretty clear that the real passion and opportunity was around the mass consumer space, but I thought my aerospace background could be a great playground and credibility benchmark before taking the technology to the consumer space. After delivering the world's first combat flight bio-sensing product called Canary, I felt confident enough to start modifying it to the fitness and well-being worlds."
In 2016, Yoffee launched a Kickstarter campaign for Vi, which was so popular that it became the site's most funded Kickstarter for a fitness wearable. The technology behind Vi was originally developed for NASA and the Air Force, but instead of monitoring astronauts and pilots during their flight missions, it tracks fitness goals and performance.
Vi has an accompanying app you can use to record your progress. After you sync the earbuds with your smartphone, use the app to enter your personal data, fitness level, and goals. When you're ready to start working out, scroll through the app's list of workouts, select the one you'd like to do, and get moving.
Small biosensors cover the wireless earbuds and U-shaped neckband to track your heart rate, distance, elevation, and speed. Vi also interacts with you. The AI personal trainer built into the earbuds offers tips for improving your workout and motivates you to work just a little harder.
I recently received a pair of Vi headphones to test out and am loving them so far. I enjoy exercising, but I don't always push myself to work out as hard as I know I can (I'm human). My Vi headphones offer tips for making the most of my workout, and they provide me with extra motivation when I feel myself slacking off. Here's a walkthrough of my experience:
DON'T MISS: A personal trainer shares 5 at-home workout tools you should own
Download Vi's accompanying app and create an account.
Once you connect the headphones to your smartphone, open Vi's app. From there, you'll create an account through Facebook or email to keep track of your progress.
Monitor your heart rate.
Vi wants to make sure it can read your heart rate before you start exercising. To do that, you'll be prompted to put on your headphones and stand still. There's a small sensor on each earbud that, when pressed against your ear's tragus, can detect your heart rate.
I had some trouble setting this up, which I attribute to human error, but got it after a couple of tries. If you experience the same problem, Vi's headphones will emit a green light to show you exactly where the biosenors are.
The headphones come with several interchangeable eartips so you can create a snug fit.
Enter your personal information.
For the most accurate readings, you'll have to enter basic fitness information like your weight, height, and age. iPhone users can also sync Vi with Apple's Health app, so they can have one place to monitor everything.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider