Do Bionic Limbs Give Athletes An Unfair Advantage?

MARKUS REHM can leap much farther than the length of your family car. He’s a world champion long jumper. But he only has one leg. He wears a device called a prosthesis in place of his missing leg. You’d think that a missing leg would cause problems—especially for an athlete. But the prosthesis Rehm wears is specially designed to propel him forward. It’s a lightweight, curved metal blade. Some call Rehm “Blade Jumper.”

- Kathryn Hulick

At a 2015 competition for athletes with disabilities, he sailed 27.6 feet (8.4 m). That distance would have beaten the non-disabled gold medalists at the 2012 and 2016 summer Olympics. Rehm wanted to compete in the 2016 summer Olympics. But some thought his blade leg gave him an unfair advantage. And he couldn’t prove that it didn’t.

Researchers have conducted extensive tests on the benefits of blade-shaped legs when it comes to running and jumping. The results are mixed.