Washington ( CNN ) -- Airplane manufacturer Boeing builds some of the most complicated machines on Earth , but in its efforts to make wireless signals on airplanes better it turned to the produce aisle for help . Wednesday the company announced a `` breakthrough '' in the procedures it uses to evaluate wireless signals in cabins , saying in a news release the tests make `` it possible for passengers to enjoy more reliable connectivity when using networked personal electronic devices in the air . '' The new procedures come , in part , thanks to 20,000 pounds of potatoes that were piled in the seats of a decommissioned plane used for the tests . The tubers mimic the way the human body responds to electronic signals , so engineers at Boeing 's Test & Evaluation Laboratory used the spud-filled plane to try out the new methods without requiring hundreds of people to sit in the aircraft . Once the engineers had the methods down , they were able to replace the starchy veggies and validate the data with humans . Boeing says the procedures it developed can reduce the time it takes to test wireless signals from two weeks to just 10 hours . `` One of the wonderful aspects of our improved testing is that we can describe both strong and weak signals with incredible accuracy , '' Boeing spokesman Adam Tischler said in a statement to CNN . `` Engineers who are concerned primarily with operational safety of an airplane can see if the strong signals are safe for the airplane 's communication and navigation systems . Meanwhile , an engineer who is concerned with getting every passenger a really good network signal can see if the weak signals are propagating through the airplane with enough power to provide a good usability experience . '' Most Americans are familiar with wi-fi Internet connections provided on airplanes , but the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration have prohibited U.S. airlines from allowing cell phones in flight due to concerns about interference . Some countries do allow cell phone use on board planes with specially designed cell phone receivers , devices which Boeing sells and installs . `` We can actually apply this kind of testing to just about any signal , '' spokesman Tischler said . `` This is more than just wi-fi testing . We can test for safety and usability for all manner of personal electronic devices that might get used on an airplane . '' As for the potatoes that were used in the tests , Boeing says they were donated to a food bank .
It uses new methods to provide wireless signals to humans . Instead of loading a truck with people for the trip , it brings in potatoes . The potatoes mimic the way the human brain responds to electronic signals .