Slashdot Mirror
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.
--
"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...
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.
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.
...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.