Vi is a new voice assistant for the sporty type, comes in a Harman/Kardon headset

Vi (pronounced V) is the next AI to join the club of female voice assistants, though this one does not occupy your phone or a weird black cylinder in your living room, but rather inhabits a new fitness-focused headset by the same name. The project began as a Kickstarter campaign on June 1 and has since shattered its initial $100,000 goal with over $620,000 and 29 days to go at the time of writing.

The biosensing Vi earphones are jam-packed with sensors – as can be expected – and can measure your heartbeat, heart rate variability, and how fast you're moving when the buds are out of your ears. Speaking of which, the earbuds themselves are touch sensitive and phone calls can be answered simply by placing them in the ear. The sweatproof headset features a bendy neckband with knurled finish that rests atop the user's shoulders and can be easily folded for pocket carrying. Vi's calming voice comes to life via a pair of Harman/Kardon earphones which should be more than capable of pumping you up with high-quality sound, if the company's previous offerings are anything to go by.

This voice assistant is talkative and is not afraid to check up on how you're doing by texting you through the dedicated app. She can also pull data from health apps such as Google Fit and Apple's HalthKit framework in order to customize a personal fitness routine just for you. Vi tracks your location via your phone's location services and takes into account your surroundings, the speed you're going at, the current weather and even the elevation of the terrain, in order to give you useful advice on what to do next.

You can get a LifeBEAM Vi headset for $199 through Kickstarter. The earbuds are expected to launch in December at a retail price of $249.