Drone delivery is becoming an increasingly visible part of daily life in the United States and elsewhere, bringing faster shipping but also a new source of neighborhood noise. Services operated by companies such as Amazon and Walmart are expanding, while researchers and residents warn that the low-altitude whine of drone rotors can be especially noticeable and irritating in residential areas.
Drone deliveries move into more communities
Schmidt is among a growing number of people living with the sound of drones dispatched by companies seeking to speed up deliveries.
Delivery drone services, once a novelty, are becoming part of everyday life for many people in the United States. Amazon Prime Air is expanding to nearly 500 cities and towns, delivering products that fit within a space the size of a shoebox. The service is now available to customers in and around Darlington in the north of England.
Smaller drone delivery operations are also emerging. In some U.S. cities, customers can order food and other treats from local pizza restaurants or ice cream parlors and have them delivered by air.
Why drone noise can be so noticeable
Even in cities where noise is already a routine part of life, drone sounds can be particularly irritating. Steady traffic noise may fade into the background, while the sudden whine of a drone’s rotors can cut through the surrounding soundscape.
Antonio Torrija Martinez, a professor of acoustic engineering and psychoacoustics at the University of Salford, said drone noise tends to be “particularly noticeable even when the overall noise level is relatively low.”
Unlike airplanes, drones fly at low altitudes and may pass directly over residential areas. “Communities that have not previously experienced significant aircraft noise and may therefore be more sensitive to changes in the local soundscape may be exposed,” Torija Martinez says.
He points to research showing that people respond more strongly to noise when they view its source as “novel, annoying, or frequently occurring.” People who benefit from drone delivery services, for example, may be less concerned about the noise.
More complaints expected as the industry expands
Torija Martinez warns that complaints about drone noise are likely to become more common. “At the moment, these problems are occurring locally in some areas, but…as the drone sector expands, we will see more and more of these complaints.”
In the United States, commercial drones are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency has faced criticism over noisy drone delivery operations, while it says that carriers and community leaders have primary responsibility for addressing concerns from local communities.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk