Fast Forward

Fast Forward is a Kearney, Nebraska company that automates inspection of electric utility infrastructure. It mounts thermal and imaging camera systems on ordinary vehicles that drive existing right-of-way, then processes the captured data with its own software to flag failing equipment and to build and correct utility GIS inventories. The company says the approach captures data on more than 5,000 miles, or 100,000 poles, per week, and reduces stored data volume by over 70% while preserving actionable findings. It was founded in 2021 by Dusty Birge and works with electric utilities, cooperatives and municipal power providers.

Uses vehicle-mounted sensors driving existing roads rather than drone crews or manual patrols, which the company positions as far more scalable and lower cost per mile while still surfacing the thermal faults that cause outages and wildfires.