The prestigious BRU21 – NTNU Research and Innovation Program in Digital and Automation Solutions for the Offshore Energy Industry – has become one of the most active academic hubs for OpenLab Drilling in recent years. Their work demonstrates how cloud-based simulation technology can accelerate research and innovation.

One of the flagship projects at BRU21 is the development of DrillFeel, an innovative drilling simulator designed to increase a driller’s situational awareness in real time. The project aims to integrate physics-based modeling, real-time data, and intuitive visualizations to improve key decisions during drilling operations. It uses haptic feedback to increase driller’s awareness of the downhole and top-side drilling process. It allows the driller to feel the drilling process through actuated joysticks, in an intuitive and user-friendly way.

OpenLab as a Core Enabler for DrillFeel

The DrillFeel team has relied extensively on OpenLab throughout its development cycle and it has served as a cornerstone platform for the project.

OpenLab’s cloud-based architecture has allowed the researchers to run computationally heavy drilling simulations without local hardware limitations and integrate real-time data streams for testing situational awareness features. This workflow has significantly accelerated the development of DrillFeel, enabling students and researchers to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure.

Wider OpenLab Adoption Across BRU21

Several PhD candidates across BRU21 have been using OpenLab in their daily research. This includes work in drilling automation and advanced control methodologies—areas where high-performance simulation tools are essential.

This broad adoption underscores OpenLab’s role as a platform that supports both specialized simulation tasks and interdisciplinary research workflows.