Amazon chose Richardson as one of the first cities to receive drone deliveries. In Richardson, a fleet of drones has started to deliver goods quickly. But the noise is drowning out life for some residents: 'We can't live like this.' The sound came out of nowhere.

It began as an unnerving high-pitched hum, like a mosquito flying around a dark room at bedtime, and it grew louder as it drew closer. A family lounging in a backyard pool in Richardson, Texas, just north of Dallas, couldn't help but notice it. 'There's another one coming this way!' shouted Eric Anderson from his pool float, pointing to an area above a tall line of trees. His 9-year-old daughter, Isla, removed her swim goggles for a clearer look at what could be a scene from science fiction.

Within a minute or so, an 83-pound drone with six blue arms and whirring propellers appeared in a corner of the sky before zipping over nearby houses, looking like a cross between a mechanical dragonfly and an X-wing fighter, and buzzing like a battalion of bees. The drone's mission: delivering an Amazon package. Richardson city officials gave Amazon zoning approval to start the drone delivery service in December as part of the company's nascent Prime Air program.

Scott Bratcher, president of a homeowners' association in a Richardson neighborhood called a drone highway, said, 'The government and the F. A. A. have failed us.' Amazon plans to expand Prime Air deliveries to 500 towns and cities by year-end.

The F. A. A. forecasts over 3.5 million registered drones by 2030, up from 897,000 currently.