https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20813441 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * Your account * Home * News * Sport * Business * Innovation * Culture * Travel * Earth * Audio * Video * Live * More menu More menu Search BBC * Home * News * Sport * Business * Innovation * Culture * Travel * Earth * Audio * Video * Live Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * Israel-Gaza war * War in Ukraine * Climate * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech More * Science * Entertainment & Arts * Health * In Pictures * BBC Verify * World News TV * Newsbeat * Tech Boeing uses potatoes instead of people to test wi-fi * Published 21 December 2012 Share close panel Share page Copy link About sharing Potatoes, Boeing Image caption, Potatoes' 'interactions' with electronic signals mimic those of a human body, according to Boeing US planemaker Boeing used an unusual substitute for passengers to test its in-flight wi-fi system - potatoes. Passenger seats on a decommissioned plane were loaded with huge sacks of the tubers for several days as signal strengths were checked. The company's researchers say that potatoes "interact" with electronic signals in a similar way to humans. The technique also took advantage of the fact that spuds - unlike humans - never get bored. Boeing's engineers did a number of tests to ensure that passengers would get the strongest possible wi-fi signal while in the air, all while meeting safety standards that protect against interference with an aircraft's electrical systems. Wireless signals fluctuate randomly in the enclosed space of an aeroplane cabin as people move about. This means that signal distribution is uneven throughout the cabin, with weaker and stronger connectivity in different seats. "You want your laptop to work anywhere it's located on your seat, [but] there can be significant signal changes just due to the location of the laptop," said Boeing engineer Dennis Lewis. To test the signal distribution, the firm turned to spuds instead of human test subjects, filling the seats with 20,000lbs (9,000kg) of potatoes in sacks. According to Boeing, potatoes' "interactions" with electronic signals mimic those of a human body, making them "the perfect stand-in for people who would otherwise have had to sit motionless for days while the data was gathered". Potatoes, Boeing Image caption, Boeing filled the seats with 20,000lbs (9,000kg) of potatoes in sacks The UK Potato Council said many people underestimated the humble potato's alternative uses. "[The examples are] in paper and ink manufacturing, potato starch is used in clothing to strengthen the fibres so they don't break during weaving, and for sweetening - glucose can be extracted from potato starch," said the council's spokeswoman. "For beauty and sores - potatoes have calming, decongestant and astringent properties and raw potatoes can calm tired eyes, potato as alcohol, and potatoes can produce electricity." Frederic Rosseneu of the European Potato Trade Association Europatat said the organisation was "looking forward to other experiments in which spuds can help to make our lives more convenient". More on this story * Bad potato harvest may hit chips. Video, 00:00:41Bad potato harvest may hit chips + Published 13 November 2012 * Bananas could be future staple + Published 31 October 2012 * A future without car crashes? + Published 7 February 2011 Related internet links * Boeing Wi-Fi flying high (Video) * Europatat, European Potato Trade Association * Contact Potato Council The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Top stories * Starmer says fixing welfare is a 'moral imperative' + Published 1 hour ago * Southern Europe swelters as heatwave spreads + Published 9 hours ago * Live. 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