LQ300 with air compressor down the hole drilling rig

China had already developed relatively complete percussion drilling equipment and technology in the 11th century. The earliest rotary drilling rig appeared in Switzerland in the late 19th century, which was powered by human labor at the time and later by steam engines. In the 20th century, internal combustion engines and electric motors replaced steam engines. The earliest drilling machines were mechanically driven, with a relatively simple structure and poor performance.