Drillbotics
About Drillbotics
Drillbotics® is an international competition for universities to design and build a small drilling rig that uses sensors and control algorithms to autonomously drill a rock sample provided by SPE’s Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section (DSATS). Recently, teams may choose to model a full scale drilling rig.
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This year marks the seventh competition for the title of Drillbotics® champion and a chance for sponsored travel to present a paper at the next SPE/IADC Drilling Conference. The past years involved undergraduates, masters and doctoral students from a variety of disciplines who built innovative drilling machines and downhole tools while developing a deeper understanding of automating the drilling process.
uh drillbotics team
Mohamed Hawter
BS, Petroleum Engineering
Jorden Hawthorne
BS, Petroleum Engineering
Sai Sri Dudala
MS, Petroleum Engineering
Duc Nguyen
BS, Electrical Engineering
2021 Team
Lotanna Ohazuruike
PhD, Petroleum Engineering
Abhishek Raj
MS, Petroleum Engineering
Austin Williams
MS, Petroleum Engineering
Erika Andrade
BS, Petroleum Engineering
Usmani Hussain
BS, Mechanical Engineering
Brandon Le
BS, Electrical Engineering
International Competition
Why an international competition? 2.2.1.DSATS, as part of the SPE, is a group of volunteers from many nations, connected by their belief that drilling automation will have a long-term, positive influence on the drilling industry. This diversity helped to shape the direction of the organization. The group feels that the industry needs to attract young professionals from all cultures and disciplines to advance drilling practices in all areas of the world. The winners of the Group A competition will receive a grant for economy class transportation and accommodations to attend the next SPE Drilling Conference and will present an SPE paper that will be added to the SPE archives of One Petro1 . Winners of Group B will publicly receive recognition of their achievement and have the opportunity to publish an SPE paper that will be added to the SPE archives of One Petro. DSATS believes recognition at one of the industry’s leading technical conferences will help encourage student participation. Also, the practical experience with drilling automation systems increases the students’ visibility to the companies that are leading automation activities.
