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Boeing Uses 20,000 Lbs. of Potatoes To Check Aircraft Wireless Network Signals
coondoggie writes "Boeing calls it Project SPUDS — or rather, Synthetic Personnel Using Dielectric Substitution — that is, using sacks of potatoes perched on aircraft seats to test the effectiveness of wireless signals in an airliner cabin. Boeing said it was researching an advanced way to test wireless signals in airplanes and needed a way to effectively simulate 200-300 people sitting in seats throughout the aircraft."
So did they do this test in their labs, or at a Five Guys?
The fact that Boeing's customers treat their passengers as sacks of potatoes is purely coincidental.
cause if they used the 75-ohm ones, their Starch Wave Ratio may be too high.
oh, and they have to be properly grounded. potatoes have experience in this area, so that's not usually a problem.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
The weight is not important. Sacks of potatoes can form a mostly human shape, and I suppose have a more or less similar water concentration? (emphasis on more or less)
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
You're freaking out a bit early, don't you think? There's not a single Irish joke in the comments yet.
...and didn't have to pay
to
get
it
IN!"
(oldie but goodie?)
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Why couldn't they "effectively simulate 200-300 people sitting in seats throughout the aircraft" by actually having 200-300 people sitting in seats throughout the aircraft?
Because it's cheaper than using actual people (from the video in the article, they first tested that the potatoes were similar enough to people in a lab). They were able to do some particularly long-running tests and collect a huge amount of data.
Imagine a spherical potato....
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Let's see...WiFi screws up airplane, 300 people dead, and your first question would be, "Why the hell didn't they use sacks of potatoes or something like that instead of people?"
There's just no pleasing you.
Yes, fries are made from potatoes.
Not if you go to mcdonalds.
Well, this was also for regulatory and safety testing, not just for signal quality to the end user. You also want to ensure every seat on the aircraft at least has a decent signal to not compound potential backhaul problems. Finally next gen ground data service is in development for both ground and AC users, as well there is decently high speed satellite service for AC like Row44.
Numbers found by a brief search indicate ~60% (anywhere from 45% to 75% depending on age and obesity) for a human body, and ~80% for a potato. So you could probably get away with a potato sack smaller than a human, but it's a decent approximation either way.
Let's see...WiFi screws up airplane, 300 people dead, and your first question would be, "Why the hell didn't they use sacks of potatoes or something like that instead of people?"
There's just no pleasing you.
WiFi screws up airplane, 300 potato sacks lost, and your first question would be, "Why the hell didn't they use people who can't stop texting for a few minutes instead of sacks of potatoes?"
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
It was just after dark when the plane started down
The airspace that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania
Carrying Twenty Thousand Pounds
Of potatoes.
Carrying twenty thousand pounds
(hit it Big John)
Oooooof Potatoooooes
...you know the wifi signal was too strong
I'm not repeating myself
I'm an X window user; I'm an ex-Windows user
Sacks of potatoes can form a mostly human shape
Only if you ignore the legs...which would also explain how they estimate the legroom to provide in economy seats.
Let's see...WiFi screws up airplane, 300 people dead, and your first question would be, "Why the hell didn't they use sacks of potatoes or something like that instead of people?"
There's just no pleasing you.
WiFi screws up airplane, 300 potato sacks lost, and your first question would be, "Why the hell didn't they use people who can't stop texting for a few minutes instead of sacks of potatoes?"
Wifi screws up airplane, 300 mad texters lost, and your first question would be, "Why the hell didn't they use celebutantes?"
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
...at least back when Boeing had a presence in Wichita, KS in the 80's. They shot dead chickens out of a specially-built canon to simulate windshield strikes. My understanding is that jet engine manufacturers still use chicken canons to fire birds into running jet engines.