What would you say if you heard that there was a team of researchers at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences who got the funding to do a study on hula-hooping?

While it may seem like an example of waste, that is not actually the case.

The study, published in the journal PNAS, looked at the physics behind hula-hooping, and how different ‘body types’ impacted the efficiency of keeping the hula-hoop up and spinning. The information gathered can be used to help improve the design and abilities of advanced machines and robots that are used in many different industries.

Leif Ristroph is an associate professor and the senior author of the study. He said in a statement about the study:

“We were surprised that an activity as popular, fun, and healthy as hula hooping wasn’t understood even at a basic physics level. As we made progress on the research, we realized that the math and physics involved are very subtle, and the knowledge gained could be useful in inspiring engineering innovations, harvesting energy from vibrations, and improving in robotic positioners and movers used in industrial processing and manufacturing.”

Hula-hooping requires a person to make countless motions all in the right order in order to keep the hoop up and spinning properly. Even once the hoop is going, the individual needs to make real-time adjustments in response to how the hoop is moving. All of this data is invaluable for the development of robots or other machines that are more stable and able to complete more complicated activities.

So, the researchers 3D printed robotic hula hoopers in a variety of different shapes and sizes and then looked at which ones performed the best.

It may not be surprising to hear that robots with an hourglass-shaped structure performed the best. The ‘hips’ of the robot helped to keep the hoop up in a much more efficient way than a robot that was more cylindrical, for example.

In addition to helping to learn more about robot design, the study may also explain why it seems that some people are naturally good at hula-hooping, and others tend to struggle. Ristroph explained:

“People come in many different body types – some who have these slope and curvature traits in their hips and waist and some who don’t. Our results might explain why some people are natural hoopers and others seem to have to work extra hard.”

Robots, and of course humans, can come in many different shapes and sizes, so understanding how that will impact their ability to not just balance upright, but also keep a free object (like a hula-hoop) moving in a desired way, is quite important.

Now there is science that can explain why I am bad at hula-hooping.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read a story that reveals Earth’s priciest precious metal isn’t gold or platinum and costs over $10,000 an ounce!