NOV moves driller’s cabin off the rig in quest for manless rig floor

To highlight the potential for automation to improve rig site safety, NOV recently removed the driller’s cabin from the rig floor of its test rig in Navasota, Texas, and installed it on the ground next to the rig. The company says the move is a step toward realizing its vision for a manless rig floor, where automation and robotics systems can be leveraged to move the driller and crews farther away from potentially hazardous situations on the rig floor. In this video shot at the test rig in mid-April, DC speaks with Chuck Wright, R&D Strategy Manager, and Caleb Malnar, Test Tech Supervisor, about how moving the driller’s cabin fits in with NOV’s vision for the rig of the future. They also speak about ongoing work to test the potential impact of the cabin’s relocation on the day-to-day work of the drillers and rig crews.