Kawasaki has brought one of its recent patent filings to life – unveiling industry-first ‘man overboard’ technology that will alert the rider if a passenger falls off the craft.
The technology is standard on all 2027 Kawasaki Ultra 310 models – which are equipped with a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, the largest display in the Jet Ski segment.
While one of the original patent filings appeared to rely on the rear-view camera to detect a fallen passenger, the system that has made it to 2027 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310 models is a simpler and potentially more reliable technology.
Instead, Kawasaki Jet Ski’s first iteration of its ‘man overboard’ technology requires the passenger to attach a small beacon (similar in size to a key fob) to their life vest.
If the passenger falls off the craft, a warning symbol flashes on the 12.3-inch instrument panel and a beep sounds to alert the rider.
The responsibility is then on the rider to circle back and retrieve the passenger from the water.
Another one of the ‘man overboard’ patent filings had technology that automatically steered the craft to the GPS location where the rider fell off the Jet Ski.
While that might be possible one day, for now Kawasaki has opted for the simpler and more reliable key fob detection system.
Given the recent round of industry firsts, we wonder what’s next for Kawasaki Jet Ski innovations.
MORE: All our Kawasaki Jet Ski coverage in one click
MORE: All our Sea-Doo coverage in one click
MORE: All our Yamaha WaveRunner coverage in one click
MORE: All our news coverage in one click
MORE: Follow us on Facebook
MORE: Follow us on YouTube