The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Ian's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Ian
My work sits at the intersection of control, learning, robotics, autonomous systems, and theoretical neuroscience. I am interested in how biological and artificial systems acquire, represent, and control skilled action under real-world constraints. My research combines human sensorimotor experiments, computational modelling, robotic interfaces, and real-time embedded control systems.
My research spans different stages of development and different motor systems, from speech acquisition in infants to the learning of novel arm movements in adults. I have also designed and built robotic interfaces for studying human movement, haptic interaction, motor learning, and movement assessment. These systems have supported research in our laboratory and in collaborations in the UK and internationally.
I have a background in electronic and electrical engineering, speech science, motor neuroscience, and robotics. This allows me to take a multidisciplinary approach to understanding intelligence, movement, learning, and autonomy. A central theme across my work is that biological intelligence and artificial autonomy are embodied, closed-loop control problems that require theoretical analysis, experimental investigation, and robust engineering implementation.
Teaching
My teaching covers robotics, autonomous systems, machine learning, sensors and actuators, embedded systems, real-time programming, mobile and humanoid robots, motor control, and control engineering. Across these areas, I am particularly interested in helping students understand autonomy as an embodied control problem, where sensing, estimation, actuation, feedback, learning, and decision-making must be integrated in real physical systems.
Module leader for:
- ROCO352 Introduction to Machine Learning
- ELEC352 Real-Time Embedded Programming for Autonomous and AI Systems
- ROCO322 Autonomous Mobile and Humanoid Robots
Previously module leader for:
- ROCO219 Control Engineering
- ROCO224 Introduction to Robotics
- AINT516Z Topics in Advanced Intelligent Robotics
- ROCO222 Introduction to Sensors and Actuators
- SOFT561 Robot Software Engineering
- SOFT141 Network Programming
Contact Ian
+44 1752 586324
ian.howard@plymouth.ac.uk