I've driven one of those box U-hauls before. It takes some getting used to. You have to be attentive. BE ATTENTIVE to what's behind you. And one time, I actually had to turn around because of a low railroad trestle. It was a bit embarrassing to have not planned my route properly and get forced to turn around in a small parking lot; but nowhere near as embarrassing as peeling the top off the truck.

My guess is that the issue is the chance of the line being tangled in something. If there are trees around, a gust of wind could easily blow the line (with or without package) into the trees. You also have to leave the package somewhere out in the open as there would be no way to put in on a covered porch.

We're cooked, literally

What are the chances that the robot was being controlled by a human and not AI? There have been a lot of "demos" of AI robots that it turns out is a guy in another room controlling it. If I had to bet money, that is what was happening here as well.

Before anybody points this out, a gallon of bleach (the common size) is currently well over their weight limit. OTOH, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be thinking ahead to the possibility of hackers ordering risky combinations of materials that might ignite or release hazardous fumes if jostled. I don't know if Wing's drones drop cargo like other services I've seen either. The videos I've seen have drogue parachutes but things still come down a bit fast. Anyway, it's not a realistic concern *for now*, apparently; but hopefully it's being considered.

I'd like to send an order of bleach, ammonia and thumb tacks to 1000 of my closest friends, via drone.

This shows the real issue with AI. It isn't in the AI itself, but the people using it. I don't have an issue with them using AI to try and identify the suspect when they are having a hard time doing so. But you can't just take what AI says and assume it is correct and act on it. AI is a tool and needs to be used as such. When it gives you something, it is up to the people to actually check out what it says and follow up on it. People are using AI as if it is the answer but it is just a tool to try and get to the real answer and that is the part that people are ignoring.

Let's see... there is a *much* lower than 1 in 4,200 chance of my toy drone injuring anyone or damaging anyone's property but it's controlled by very strict regulations that are supposed to be their for the public's safety and hugely constrain where and when I can fly it.

Someone explain how this works.

Make Lynx Great Again!!!!!

You kids and your graphical browsers... bah!

And while you're at it, get off my lawn!

Eeeeew. Something hit a nerve for sure! How dare anyone insult MiKr0zopht's AI?

You are putting WAY to much thought into this. Yes, it was not a fancy double blind study, but there are 4 separate files and 4 things they could be assigned to. Anyone with 2 brain cells would listen and assign what they though was the best quality to the original. Then to the one run through the audio cable. Then the banana followed by mud. They fact that at minimum the mud and banana didn't stand out says what you need to know about the quality.

This outrageous level of paranoia over "alleged" drone sightings will cost human lives soon.

Here we have the US military mis-identifying a party balloon as a drone and firing a powerful laser at it -- while members of the public get prosecuted every year for flicking their laser-pointers at helicopters and airliners.

In Germany, police will be allowed to shoot at "alleged" drones even though it has been clearly proven that most (if not all) of the recent drone sightings were simply mis-identified aircraft lights.

Can anyone see the potential for disaster here?

The mis-identification of aircraft flying at night as "drones" has become rife, dating back beyond the NY/NJ "drone" incidents that caused such concern in the USA a year or two ago. Almost without exception, these "drones" are real aircraft (often passenger flights) carrying people through the skies. How long before one of them is shot down by paranoid trigger-happy idiots?

Paranoia is a mental health issue and it's infecting governments and authorities around the world.

Before someone says "but... Ukraine..." I ask you: how many people have died as the result of actions by bad actors using drones in the USA or outside the war zones in Europe?

That's a big fat ZERO!

Yes, it "could" happen but right now it's far more likely that innocent people will die from friendly fire produced by paranoid idiots on the ground with guns and lasers.

Don't worry... the internet will route around this damage. Discord will become dust.

It's really worth reading the 450 comments on this video Why this crash matters to everyone that flies a drone for a sense of how the recreational drone community is feeling about this crash.