Vana Vani Matriculation Higher Secondary School, located within the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras campus, has come under scrutiny after students were allegedly used for testing smart insoles developed by the Centre of Excellence for Sports Science and Analytics, without prior parental consent.
Following the incident, the principal of the school was replaced and the faculty from IIT Madras has received a warning, said a statement, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
A fact-finding committee, formed by IIT Madras, revealed that a preliminary study was conducted on August 19 at Vana Vani School.
The purpose of the study was to test the feasibility of a cost-effective smart insole created using commercially available items, it said.
Following reports that clinical trials were conducted on students, the committee clarified that "neither clinical trials nor any medical-related device trials were conducted. No medicines or stimulants were administered. The smart insole was placed inside the students' shoes to study walking ease for less than 10 minutes per student, with no direct contact with the human body. Along with the insole, a commercially available smartwatch was used to collect data separately."
The investigation found that no invasive procedures were performed, nor were any liquids or solids given to the students during the study. The feasibility study was immediately halted the same day, August 19, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, the district education officer (private schools) has called parent representatives and the administration of the school for an inquiry into the incident.
