This AI Personal Trainer Can Travel With You

While some people have no issue sticking to their own routine at the gym, others (myself included) find it tempting to slack off when there’s nobody there cheering them on to do one more rep, set, mile, or pose. When you’re away and outside of your normal routine, it’s even more difficult to factor in training time, but a tech company called LifeBEAM may have invented the perfect solution.

Vi is the world’s first AI personal trainer—more specifically a running coach that gives you customized guidance wherever you are. Unlike other wearables, which aim to motivate via metrics alone, Vi learns all about your goals as well as your physical habits, and provides targeted advice accordingly. With her help, I was hoping to get back into running on a regular basis. Here’s what I learned from the experience…

She gives genuinely useful advice

Vi has some very impressive tech, including aerospace-grade biosensors built into the earbuds that track your heart rate, speed, time, elevation, location and cadence. She can tell, for instance, that my stride is too long to be energetically efficient. Faster, shorter steps require less power and will allow me to run for longer, so she plays a repetitive beat and encourages me to match it with each footfall.

Vi knows the terrain and the temperature, which makes her a useful companion when you’re running abroad. If it’s an especially hot and humid climate, for example, she’ll carefully monitor your heart rate, making sure you don’t overdo it. If you’ve been running on concrete mile after mile she’ll gently remind you to find a more knee-friendly surface when possible.

She’s more affordable than an IRL personal trainer

At $199, Vi is a whole lot cheaper than hiring a human trainer. She’s also more portable, which is ideal if you’re somebody who likes to explore a place on foot.

Vi, the AI personal trainer works via and app

She’s a cheerleader when you need it most

Vi is the epitome of chipper, exhibiting enthusiasm that can be a little unpalatable early in the morning. On the flip side, her encouragement literally helped me go the extra mile. Even though logically I know she’s a machine, having her upbeat voice in my ear provided a degree of accountability that kept me striving.

She’s not infallible

Occasionally, Vi’s voice recognition failed, or my Spotify playlist dropped, or the whole thing conked out. It’s annoying to have to stop and restart the app and the session from scratch, and a reminder that, just like humans, AI has limitations too.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.