Adam Pantanowitz

Adam Pantanowitz

Adam Pantanowitz is an electrical and biomedical engineer, entrepreneur, technologist, motivational speaker, researcher, and philanthropist.

An expert and enthusiast of artificial intelligence, Adam fills his time researching, creating unique business ideas and developing technological platforms - all of which revolve around healthcare, biotechnology and automation. Adam can be found hacking away at his laptop in coffee shops, lecturing medicine and engineering to thousands of students at Wits University, providing new ideas in the world of technology and business in think3dots, or delivering a keynote talk in a foreign country with Singularity University. Using his experience in engineering, software and entrepreneurship, his areas of expertise are focused on artificial intelligence, ethics, biotechnology, engineering and robotics. With 13 years of experience, Adam has and continues to use his skills as a technologist to disrupt and innovate in industry and think about change.

His impact has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Ozy, Futurism, together with producing an abundance of academic journals and patents. Adam’s work and projects have been re-released in hundreds of languages, making him a global phenomenon, with the worldwide interest piece “Brainternet”. Carte Blanche, Mail & Guardian, Man Magazine, and many other media platforms have spotlighted and captured his projects. This has all brought to light that which Adam continues to do for society: some other projects include an eye-controlled wheel chair; a non-cognitive brain transmission channel using light; a thought-controlled robotic arm with a light-invoked on/off switch; a hands-free controlled surgery interaction system; a CPR monitoring system; a computer-based sign language interpreter; and an eye- controlled cursor using the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Adam’s projects continue to grow in complexity, benefit and social impact.

Adam is the co-founder of multiple startups such as AURA (a mobile security app), Tariffic (a platform to best predict a customer's optimal mobile plan), Resolute Robotics (an online education forum to promote engineering and robotics),  Lawbuntu (a platform to democratise access to legal services (including South Africa's first "free last will & testament")), and think3dots (a start-up focused on biotechnology, AI and engineering). Adam was CTO of VATIT, the world’s largest VAT Reclaim business (2015 - 2017). He also consulted extensively to three of South Africa's major banks, on matters at the junction of technology and business. Adam has launched a number of other businesses and initiatives, and is most passionate about helping and uplifting others.

As an advocate of ongoing learning and professional development, Adam is a Fellow of the IET, a Senior Member of the IEEE, a Senior Member of the  SAIEE, and is Chartered internationally as an engineer (CEng, EUR ING, CITP, Pr Eng, IntPE).

Adam's own personal journey allowed for him to engineer his way around certain challenges, leading him on a most successful path. From a young age Adam has pursued the act of deconstructing technology in order to build a better and brighter future. In his quest to combine industry and academia, he continues to focus on the future, on technological innovation, and on education throughout. As a result of this personal journey, Adam has recently started shift.stream, a platform for uplifting stories of remarkable people who have turned great adversity into strength.