The research progress on sonic drilling technology in theory and application is discussed. Firstly， the development history of sonic drilling technology is described. Secondly， the typical sonic drilling rigs at home and abroad are investigated and compared with analysis of the shortcomings of domestic sonic drilling rigs. Thirdly， analysis of the application of sonic drilling rigs in soil environmental investigation show that they can meet the requirement for continuous， complete and in-situ weak disturbance sampling of different soil layers. Finally， the research and development direction of sonic drilling rigs are discussed， including development of the high-frequency sonic power head with the dual vibrator structure and the composite rubber damping material to stabilize the high frequency of 150 Hz and prolong the life of the power head， development of anti-fatigue and anti-impact chromium-molybdenum alloy materials to solve the fatigue damage of drilling tools at high vibration frequencies， development of the malfunction diagnosis and auto-repair， remote operation and control， and volatile organic compound online monitoring systems to improve the intelligence and automation level of high-frequency sonic drilling rigs.