Case Study: Seabed Rig achieves safer, faster unmanned seabed drilling with SolidWorks

Innovating a safer, better approach to deepwater drilling with SolidWorks

Seabed Rig, a Norway-based startup, set out to develop an automated, robot-operated unmanned drilling rig that sits on the seabed to enable deepwater and polar drilling without a conventional surface platform. To design extremely large, complex robotic systems and assemblies while reducing environmental and human-safety risks, Seabed Rig used SolidWorks Professional software as its 3D CAD platform.

Using SolidWorks, Seabed Rig cut design time roughly in half, streamlined interactions with suppliers through robust data compatibility, and developed a next-generation automated drilling system including a 3D visualization and control module (the Visualizator) that mirrors the rig and reduces data transmission enough to run over a mobile connection. SolidWorks’ large-assembly capabilities and eDrawings support compressed development cycles, improved vendor communication, and helped produce a prototype demonstrated at Forus Teknologipark as Seabed Rig moves toward seabed deployment.

Seabed Rig

Kenneth Mikalsen

Chief Technology Officer