Research: Drone noise is more annoying to people than car noise

A preliminary study by space agency NASA states that the buzzing sound of drones is more irritating to people than the sound of passing cars, even if both sounds are at the same volume.

The researchers did not think that such a big difference would be experienced between the sounds of ground vehicles and drones, co-researcher Andrew Christian told the New Scientist website. Actually, the study didn’t focus on this difference either; the goal was to determine whether certain space agency research facilities could contribute to wider NASA studies investigating drones.

The research shows that the 38 test subjects all indicated that they found the drone sound comparable to the sound of a car that was suddenly twice as close. Sounds from drones, cars and trucks were played during the investigation. The participants were asked to rate each sound on a scale ranging from ‘not at all annoying’ to ‘very annoying’. According to the scientists, the study shows that companies that believe that the use of drones cannot count on more resistance if the aircraft does not sound louder than conventional vehicles are making a false assumption.

According to NASA, few people knew that they were actually listening to drone sounds when they indicated that they found the sound annoying. The participants only knew that they were going to listen to sounds related to the ‘future of transport’. It was not entirely clear in the study why the subjects found the sounds of drones so irritating. This may have to do with the fact that drones often fly slowly and therefore do not disappear from the field of hearing as quickly as a passing car.