Fitness equipment giant Nautilus has acquired VAY, a firm specialising in AI and motion technology.

Based in Switzerland, VAY’s proprietary technology enables computers to understand human motion using cameras.

With its mission to "democratise professional human motion analysis", VAY uses computer vision and AI technology solutions and has developed human motion analysis software using any normal (RGB) camera from a device – such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

The technology allows clients in fitness and health to understand and analyse human movement, providing personalised feedback on repetitions and form in real-time.

Nautilus plans to utilise the tech on its existing JRNY digital platform and enable real-time data analysis during workouts.

According to CEO, Jim Barr, the company will integrate VAY's capabilities into its JRNY platform to further develop "highly personalised one-on-one workout experiences".

“We identified a need in the market for highly accurate form tracking and coaching," Barr said.

"We believe that incorporating VAY’s technology into JRNY is the fastest way to accelerate our technical roadmap to deliver superior connected fitness experiences for our members and enhance the platform’s progress as a highly personalised one-on-one digital fitness coach.

"This acquisition directly supports our aim to continue evolving into a more digital company and helps us advance our software development capabilities.

“We also believe that this partnership will fundamentally change at-home fitness by helping customers reach their goals in a more personalised and scientific way.”

Nautilus launched the JRNY in 2019. The acquisition of VAY is part of the Nautilus' North Star: Journey to 2026 strategy, which was unveiled in March 2021 at Nautilus’ Investor Day.

The goal of the strategy is to unlock sustainable growth and to digitally transform the company, including scaling its JRNY digital fitness platform.

Nautilus expects the digital subscription business to represent approximately 20 per cent of total revenue and is targeting to have 2 million JRNY members by FYE 2026.

It currently estimates that 25 per cent of former gym-goers do not plan on returning to the gym and the emerging work-from-anywhere model will continue to thrive.

Nautilus' family of equipment brands also includes Schwinn and Bowflex.