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KAUST Announces Partnership with Ocean Aero for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Diver during a research trip in the Red Sea offshore of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. (Reuters)
Diver during a research trip in the Red Sea offshore of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. (Reuters)
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KAUST Announces Partnership with Ocean Aero for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Diver during a research trip in the Red Sea offshore of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. (Reuters)
Diver during a research trip in the Red Sea offshore of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. (Reuters)

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced a new collaboration agreement with Ocean Aero, a manufacturer and service provider of ocean-going Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicles (AUSVs).

Ocean Aero and Shelf Subsea, a service company for the marine industry, will bring the AUSVs into Saudi Arabia, which will enhance KAUST research of the Red Sea.

Ocean Aero’s TRITON Generation III AUSV is the world's first and only autonomous, environmentally-powered ocean vehicle that both sails and submerges for persistent, long-range ocean observation and data collection missions.

The solar panels and batteries on this AUSV allow the vehicle to spend months at sea unattended, whereas comparable AUSVs cannot explore for more than a day without direct handling.

The collaboration will benefit knowledge of the Red Sea and KAUST research in many ways. By customizing the AUSVs with sensors, the KAUST Red Sea Research Center will acquire new data that will be instrumental in understanding special features of the Red Sea, such as its unusual currents and biodiverse habitats and species.

In addition, the collaboration will advance KAUST’s Coastal and Marine Resources Core Lab capabilities and knowledge in marine robotics design and operation, which will enable the future development of KAUST’s own Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

Further, the KAUST Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division (CEMSE) is developing new features that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of things (IoT) to the vehicles and sensors.

“In response to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, KAUST is further dedicating itself to Red Sea research.

The KAUST-Ocean Aero collaboration is one of many efforts that reflect this goal,” said Daniel Acevedo-Feliz, director of KAUST Core Labs and Research Infrastructure.

“We are excited to have Ocean Aero as partners, as not only their vehicles but also their shared expertise will significantly advance this project,” he added.

Ocean Aero CEO Kevin Decker said, “We couldn’t be happier to work alongside the oceanographers, researchers and marine scientists at KAUST. By providing a platform to delve deeper into data collection in the Red Sea than ever before, we’re able to do more science with less resources in a safe, consistent and reliable way.

“With Shelf Subsea’s expertise in maritime operations, we have the perfect partner to execute the launch, recovery, data processing and maintenance of the TRITON fleet.”

The collaboration kicked off immediately, with a number of TRITONs already stationed at KAUST, and more on the way.

The AUSVs, combined with training by Shelf Subsea on their operation, position KAUST and Ocean Aero to generate quick, meaningful results on the oceanography and marine biology of the Red Sea.

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Should You Stretch before Exercise? After? Never? Here’s What to Know

Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
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Should You Stretch before Exercise? After? Never? Here’s What to Know

Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)

For many people of a certain age, high school gym class began with reaching for their toes. Then, over the years, we were told it was better to stretch after exercise.

It turns out, both those things can be true, but the differing advice has created some confusion.

Stretching can help make you more flexible, improve range of motion in your joints — and feel good. David Behm, who researches human kinetics at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada, offers this advice on when to stretch and how to do it safely:

Warm up first

It’s almost always good to stretch, but it’s better if you warm up first, said Behm, author of "The Science and Physiology of Flexibility and Stretching." He recommends a light aerobic activity such as jogging, walking or cycling for five or 10 minutes.

Follow that with some static stretching, the traditional way of reaching and holding a position (think back to that gym class). You can then do activity-specific dynamic stretching, in which you warm up the muscles with repetitive movements like leg lifts.

Behm says one minute is "the magic number" for how long to do static stretching per muscle group without fatigue.

Expand your definition of 'stretching'

Should you always stretch before exercising? If it's traditional stretching, not necessarily.

The better question, Behm says, is, "Should people increase their range of motion? Should people have better flexibility? And that is yes, because it helps prevent injuries. It helps with health. But you don’t have to stretch to achieve that."

Resistance training, for instance, can be an effective form of stretching, he said. Doing a chest press increases range of motion in your deltoids and pecs, whether with barbells, dumbbells or machines, so there is no need to stretch beforehand. Just make sure to start with a small amount of weight to warm up and then add more to train.

"You probably don’t have to do extra stretching unless you’re a gymnast, a figure skater, or even a golfer who needs a great range of motion through that swing," Behm said.

Nor do you need to stretch first if you’re going for a leisurely run. Simply start with a slow jog to warm up and then increase the pace.

Don't do it if it hurts

After exercise, "light stretching is OK, as long as you don't reach a point where you're feeling pain," Behm said. Since your muscles will be warm by that point, overdoing it makes you more likely to injure yourself.

Foam rollers can help with muscle recovery and have been shown to increase range of motion as well as stretching.

Do some static stretching before sports

If you’re playing a sport, Behm said, static stretching beforehand helps reduce muscle and tendon injury.

"If you’re going to do an explosive movement, change of direction, agility, sprint, any of these explosive activities that involve your muscles and tendons," he said, "you’re going to be stronger if you do static stretching."

People can especially get in trouble when they go back to a sport they used to play, whether it's tennis, surfing or any sort of team activity.

Also, stretch both sides equally. Lacking flexibility on one side also can lead to injury.

Sounds simple. Why all the confusion? Different studies over the years have either encouraged or discouraged stretching before exercise. Behm says that partly because some studies didn't reflect real-life conditions, or were designed with elite athletes in mind, not regular people.

"If you’re Usain Bolt, it makes a difference," said Behm. Not so much for the rest of us.