By 2050, woodland caribou may no longer exist in the boreal forest of northeastern Alberta. That is the fear and prediction that prompted conservation groups to ask for an emergency protection order for the animals from Environment Canada this February, citing oilsands development as a growing threat that they say the province is unwilling to address.

Statoil outlined the benefits of using the RSS drilling assembly in its 2010 in situ performance presentation to the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), noting the technology produces a high-quality borehole, while improving directional control.

While the technological advancements that have opened up vast North American onshore shale gas resources get the lion’s share of the publicity of late, there’s no shortage of other high-tech wonders occurring in the oil and gas industry that are truly cutting-edge — lodged firmly on the precipice of the once unimagined.