Noisy neighbors are as old as, well, probably the existence of neighbors. What’s novel in the case of a rural area of southeastern Australia is that these noisemakers happen to be drones from Wing, a company that sprang from Google’s experimental Alphabet X lab.
VentureBeat reports that residents living amidst these package-delivering drones, deployed since October 2017 as part of a pilot program, recently aired their grievances to The Wall Street Journal. They compared the noise to a chainsaw and described the hubbub as a deterrent to spending time outdoors.
A dozen vertical rotors and two propellers enable the drones to notch speeds as high as 78 miles per hour as well as take off and land vertically, says the outlet. Their flight routes are automated and sensors help them stay the course without collisions.
Wing’s drones are still in their early phase, as the company is working through a few hiccups such as accidental deliveries and forced landings. Their current client roster is a handful of local vendors such as Mexican restaurant Guzman y Gomez and pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse.
In the long run, drones could spell huge savings for local businesses while also lowering carbon emissions, according to a recently commissioned report which estimates annual cost savings at $9 million.
In the long run, drones could spell huge savings for local businesses while also lowering carbon emissions, according to a recently commissioned report which estimates annual cost savings at $9 million.
Wing recently expanded to colder climes as it began flight trials in Tampere, Finland, after announcing it would begin a free 10-minute drone delivery trial in Helsinki, Finland, for items weighing 3.3 pounds or less up to a distance of 6.2 miles.
