Why Did Boeing Fill a Plane With Potatoes?

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To optimize in-flight Wi‑Fi performance, Boeing needed to understand how radio waves behave inside a fully occupied aircraft cabin. However, finding hundreds of volunteers to sit motionless for hours during repeated tests was impractical. Instead, engineers turned to an unlikely stand-in: sacks of potatoes. This unconventional choice was grounded in science. Human bodies affect Wi‑Fi signals by absorbing, scattering, or reflecting the electromagnetic waves they rely on - interactions influenced largely by our high water content. Potatoes, which are also rich in water and possess similar dielectric properties to human tissue, mimic how our bodies interfere with radio waves and wifi. By filling airplane seats with potatoes, Boeing could realistically simulate a cabin full of passengers, allowing them to refine their Wi‑Fi system with remarkable accuracy.

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