Hopper
Amputee recreational runners purchase Hopper's carbon-fiber blade when public health insurance classifies sports prostheses as "non-essential" and excludes them from coverage.
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What it is
Hopper is a French startup that manufactures running blades using recycled carbon fiber from the aeronautical industry. Founded by Jérôme Bernard -- a triple amputee who wanted to run alongside his sons -- the company emerged from a collaboration between Bernard, Airbus, engineering students from IMT Mines, and Salomon.1
In France and many other countries, running blades are classified as "non-essential" and excluded from insurance coverage. Traditional sports prostheses are designed for elite athletes with sponsorships, not recreational runners. Hopper's blades offer an alternative: recycled aerospace carbon fiber from Airbus, terrain versatility across pavement, dirt, gravel, and woods, and adjustable stiffness that serves casual runners rather than competition specialists.2
The company represents both builder-side intervention and navigator-side compensation. Hopper's design and development create genuine accessibility. But Hopper exists because insurance systems and prosthetics manufacturers failed to make recreational sports accessible in the first place -- forcing amputees to switch to alternatives outside the mainstream medical supply chain.
Why it matters
Hopper illustrates how navigator-side compensation can become builder-side care when disabled people build what the system refused to provide:
The upstream failure: Insurance systems classify running as "non-essential," treating mobility for sport as a luxury rather than a health need. Traditional prosthetics manufacturers focus on elite athletes with sponsorships, leaving recreational runners outside the system entirely. This is default neglect -- recreational runners were never included in the first place.
The compensation that became a product: Bernard didn't wait for the system to change. He contacted Airbus about repurposing carbon fiber waste, recruited engineering students, and partnered with Salomon. The result is a blade designed for recreational runners from the start -- adjustable stiffness for different activities, adaptable sizing for growing children, and terrain versatility that competition blades lack.3
The burden that remains: Hopper blades still require out-of-pocket payment because the insurance classification hasn't changed. Users must navigate international distribution, find prosthetists willing to fit non-traditional equipment, and advocate for themselves in systems that still classify recreational mobility as optional. Hopper reduces navigator-side burden but doesn't change the upstream failure.
Real-world examples
Runner, Engineers Build Affordable 'Hopper' Blade for Amputee Athletes (2022)
-- GearJunkie
- Jérôme Bernard, a triple amputee, partnered with Airbus, IMT Mines engineering students, and Salomon to create the Hopper blade after discovering how running improved his well-being and balance. The collaboration represents the first carbon-fiber blade with Salomon-designed insoles specifically for amputee runners -- builder-side design emerging from lived experience.
Hopper Blade Now Available in the U.S. from PROTEOR (2024)
-- PROTEOR USA
- PROTEOR became the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Hopper blade, expanding access beyond Europe. The blade is available in five stiffness levels for diverse activity types and user weights -- bringing the switch to alternative option to American amputees facing the same insurance exclusions.
Hopper: The startup redefining mobility (2023)
-- Dassault Systèmes
- As a member of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab accelerator, Hopper gained resources to scale production and expand internationally. Their 2024 goal: an adjustable blade allowing hiking, walking, and sprinting with a single prosthesis -- so users don't need separate devices for each activity, and children don't need replacements as they grow.
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Hopper repurposes carbon fiber waste from Airbus -- aerospace-grade material that would otherwise be discarded. This sustainability approach also challenges the assumption that high-performance prosthetics require virgin materials.2
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Unlike competition blades designed for specific surfaces (track, road), Hopper blades work across terrain types. This versatility matters for recreational runners who don't train on standardized surfaces.3
What care sounds like (builder-side interventions)
Care at the design and development stage involves building for recreational runners, not just elite athletes:
- "Great athletes can get blades through clubs and sponsors, but casual athletes or beginners are forgotten. [We build for them.]"2
- "One adjustable blade for hiking, walking, and sprinting -- so children don't need new prostheses every year as they grow."
- "We repurpose carbon fiber from aerospace manufacturing that would otherwise be waste."
What neglect sounds like (builder-side interventions)
Neglect involves insurance systems and manufacturers treating recreational mobility as optional:
- "Running blades are not medically necessary."
- "We focus on elite athletes; recreational users aren't our market."
- "Insurance covers walking prostheses. Running is a lifestyle choice."
- "Sports prostheses are specialized equipment, not essential medical devices."
What compensation sounds like (navigator-side compensations)
Compensation describes the labor amputees undertake when insurance and mainstream manufacturers fail them:
- "I saved for years to buy a blade that insurance called 'non-essential.'"
- "I had to find a prosthetist willing to fit equipment that wasn't from their usual suppliers."
- "My son outgrows his blade every year. Insurance won't cover replacements for 'recreational' equipment."
- "I found Hopper through disability forums, not through my healthcare provider."
All observations occur within the context of prosthetics manufacturing, insurance reimbursement systems, and adaptive sports equipment markets where coverage classifications determine who can participate in recreational sport.