The Journal for Petroleum Technology, featured RAPID in July, 2015 with “The Dawn of a New Automation Consortium.” (SPE subscription or download a pdf copy here). From the article:
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) have set an audacious goal to halve the time, cost, and number of rig personnel required for drilling every type of well, from unconventional shale to ultradeepwater. The Rig Automation and Performance Improvement in Drilling (RAPID) research consortium is envisioned by its creators as an accelerator of technologies that can address “any and all” aspects of automated well construction.
The feature has already led to an additional interest in RAPID beyond the kick-off event.