Privacy issues are often the most cited complaints against drone usage, especially in residential areas. Having a flying camera passing by your street and over your homes can be quite unsettling for anyone. This is especially the case for those who are not partaking in the delivery. What did they have to gain from drones flying all over their area?
Australia Alphabet Problems
Well, it seems that another obstacle faces delivery drones.
In another article, we talked about the company Alphabet, a sister company to the massively popular Google. This 2019, they are going ahead with their plans to start testing drone deliveries in selected cities all over the globe. A problem they faced in Bonython, Australia is the noise that apparently annoyed neighbors and even pets in the area.
Drones, with their spinning rotors and quick aerial movement, may sound like bumblebees flying overhead. Alphabet’s delivery drone however made sounds comparable to chainsaws running, as some of the people nearby stated. The noise can be quite overwhelming, especially to those with sensitive hearing. These include children, the elderly, and pets around the house and neighborhood. The dog population of the area has been especially sensitive about the added noise the drones created during their tests.
What is Alphabet’s solution to this growing problem? It appears a more stealth-oriented approach will be implemented soon. The plan is to have drones create noise that blend in with residential noise – if that can help. The stealth comes from quieter rotors, as well as slower drones in general to prevent an increase in sound generation.
Drones doing deliveries also changed routes to avoid complaints from homes that frequently hear the noise. While these seem decent adjustments to the current tests, one may wonder how stable this solution is. The drones are advertised to start generating lesser noise, but will that impact the noise problems the neighborhood has been reporting?
