FORCE has begun design and operational planning work on the FAST platform – a recoverable seabed mounted platform designed to advance our understanding of the FORCE site and the instrumentation required to measure it. FORCE struck a science advisory team to develop the platform’s initial research program and instru-mentation package, and announced the development of its first breakthrough technology – the Vectron – the first instrument to provide high-resolution, real time measurements of turbulent water flow at turbine hub height. The Vectron will be able to capture highly accurate measurements of turbulence at a specific height above the seafloor over long periods of time - critical to understanding turbine performance, and vastly improving developers’ odds of successful and efficient operation. This technology will also meet a need for more accurate, site-specific data at high flow sites worldwide.