Rocket boys (and girls)

MadHop shoes, a German invention, make you 10 inches taller and bestow the super power of being able to jump three metres straight up.

 And they're now being sold at the MadHop shop behind the cinema on Siam Square Soi 7. Just listen for the clacking sound,like high heels in aggressive motion.

That's the sound of devotees perched atop the craziest-looking contraption I've ever

seen - a twisted, futuristic metallic body like something out of "Transformers".

Aerospace engineer Alexander Boeck dubbed his invention Jumping Stilts, but in Thailand they're sold as MadHops.

Elsewhere in the leaping, bouncing world,they're known as Air-Trekkers, Flying Jumpers, Fly Jumpers, Pro-Jumps and PowerStriders (formerly Powerizers).

As PowerStriders, they garnered global publicity during last year's Olympics, when Chinese athletes put them to astonishing use in the closing ceremonies.

"Anyone can try them out,'' said a clerk at the Siam Square store, which doubles as a

community centre for young spacewalkers. On weekends, teenagers queue up for the experience.

Upon revealing my weight, the clerk strapped me into a pair of MadHops and told me to stand up.

I tried, pathetically, but was only able to do so after a few more efforts, and found myself balancing precariously high over the pavement. I felt gargantuan and empowered, and the centre of attention.

People in the shops and passers-by stared, perplexed but also enchanted.

"Slow down!" the shop clerk yelled as I strutted around, terrified that I might smash through

somebody's window.

Instead, when it came time to fall, I fell onto a pole, allowing me to regain my balance and

save my teeth.

"Get off, that's enough," the clerk said. "You need practice, and you could seriously hurt

someone.

"The trick is to be adventurous" but also rational, not impulsive, he explained.

As in any "sport", MadHopping demands caution. Beginners really ought to wear a helmet

and protective pads.

After just a few minutes on the stilts I was sweating profusely from the exertion - but

that was the sweat of a superhero.