Boeing, the Chicago-based company that has built some of the world’s most sophisticated aircraft, has turned to a very basic food staple to test airplane Wi-Fi: potatoes. About 20,000 pounds of potatoes were used as stand-ins for passengers during tests at the company’s laboratories to ensure onboard Wi-Fi signals are consistent through the cabin without interrupting the navigation and communication systems, the company said Wednesday. The sacks of potatoes replicate the way human passengers reflect and absorb electronic signals, said Boeing spokesman Adam Tischler. Without the potatoes, Tischler said Boeing would have to employ dozens of people to sit in a grounded plane for hours while Wi-Fi signals are measured and adjusted. The testing idea has been dubbed Synthetic Personnel Using Dielectric Substitution, or SPUDS.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.