Valo Motion, a pioneer in combining interactive technology with physical activities, is celebrating the success of its founder and CEO, Dr. Raine Kajastila, who has been honoured with the 2026 IATP Pioneer Award.
The International Adventure & Trampoline Park Association (IATP) brings together indoor adventure and trampoline park professionals worldwide through education, research, and community.
Dr. Raine Kajastila was honoured with the 2026 IATP Pioneer Award in an Awards Dinner on 16 September
Image courtesy of Valo Motion
Kajastila received the award at the IATP Awards Dinner, held on 16 September at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida as part of the IATP Annual Conference.
The recognition comes during a milestone year for Valo Motion, which is marking its tenth anniversary and has launched two new products, Groundfall and ValoBoard.
With these new releases, the company demonstrates that its mission to help people find the joy of movement remains key, 10 years on.
A decade of achievement
IATP's Pioneer Award celebrates individuals who have made a significant impact on the adventure attractions sector through bold and innovative products, services, designs, processes, concepts, or analyses.
This year, the award recognised Kajastila's work combining physical attractions with interactive gaming, and the creation of ValoVision, the full-body tracking technology in all Valo Motion products.
Valo Motion was founded by Leo Holsti, Dr. Raine Kajastila, and Joni VähämäkiImage courtesy of Valo Motion
The Pioneer Award marks more than a decade of continuous innovation, beginning with Kajastila's early research 13 years ago during his postdoctoral work at Aalto University in Finland.
In 2016, this research led a small team in a university garage to develop augmented climbing wall prototypes. These prototypes were followed by ValoClimb, with trampoline research becoming ValoJump.
Kajastila considers the award a shared achievement with all of Valo Motion's teams and people.
Today, Valo Motion's games are played more than 320,000 times every day. Over 2,000 units are enjoyed by visitors at more than 1,100 sites, spanning 80+ countries.
This year, the company added Groundfall and ValoBoard to its product lineup.
Launched in May, Groundfall is a dedicated mixed-reality product for four to 10 players, built around the 'floor is lava' concept. With 19 configurations, Groundfall is the company's most modular and retrofit-friendly product to date.
ValoBoard followed in September. This multiplayer mixed-reality attraction aims to make board sports more accessible and is the first Valo Motion product to use a physical controller.
These products will be on show together for the first time at IAAPA Expo Europe, which is taking place in London this week. Kajastila will also host a press conference at the Valo Motion booth, #S2502, on Tuesday 22 September at 3.20 pm.
