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 signal in an airliner cabin.

Boeing said it was researching an advanced way to test wireless signals in airplane and needed a way to effectively simulate say 200-300 people sitting in seats throughout the aircraft.

NEWS: The weirdest, wackiest and coolest sci/tech stories of 2012

From Boeing: "Initially using a de-commissioned airplane, the team from Boeing Test & Evaluation laboratories conducted a series of such tests. The team determined that potatoes were ideal stand-ins for passengers, given their similar physical interactions with electronic signal properties. Much of the testing was conducted on the grounded airplane with the seats filled with 20,000 pounds of potato sacks. The test data was then validated on the ground with human stand-ins for passengers. The vegetable interactions with the radio wave signals mimic those of the human body - the perfect stand-in for people who would have had to sit motionless for days on end while test data was gathered."

Hence, SPUDS. (check out the video on the project below)

In the end what Boeing was looking to do is use a proprietary process of what it called "state-of-the-art technology and ground-breaking statistical analysis" to identify strong and weak wireless signal areas in the aircraft cabin and balance them by adjusting the network system accordingly. Once the new method was established, testing that previously took more than two weeks to conduct was reduced to 10 hours, Boeing stated.

The technology was first developed to more thoroughly and efficiently ensure that signal propagation met the regulatory safety standards that protect against interference with an aircraft's critical electrical systems, Boeing stated.

Follow Michael Cooney on Twitter: nwwlayer8 and on Facebook

Check out these other hot stories:

NASA Inspector General doubts space agency can hit mandatory computer encryption goals

FTC hits up 9 data brokers for info on how they collect and use private data

NASA on full court press to deflate doomsday prophecies

IBM: In the next 5 years computers will learn, mimic the human senses

DARPA awards $20M to Nvidia to stretch "Achilles Heel" of advanced computing: Power

US targets $47 million for seven advanced offshore wind projects

NASA revs-up new Mars rover, missions to grow red planet exploration program

US, European law enforcement take down $3M high-end online fraud scheme

Government board aims to revamp decrepit US security classification system