'Hourglass' body shape ideal for hula-hooping

Researchers from NYU perform robotic experiments to understand the science of the workout activity

An 'hourglass' body shape might be the answer to sustained hula-hooping, a workout involving the twirling of a hoop around the body to keep it spinning, a study has suggested.

Researchers from the New York University in the United States have performed robotic experiments and shown that "keeping a hoop at a level requires a sloped surface with 'hips' and a curvy 'waist'."

Along with explaining a "familiar but poorly understood activity", the findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, could help inform robotic applications, such as controlling and manipulating objects without gripping.