My name is Uziel Zontag, and I serve as a Senior Consultant at BadenCampus, focusing on smartXautomation and related innovation platforms. My role is to help companies and partners leverage robotics, digitalization, automation, and AI - from aligning strategies to developing and testing ideas, implementing solutions, and working with startups and research to accelerate innovation.

What makes your work unique and what background do you bring into this role?

Before joining BadenCampus, I was Head of Digitalization & Innovation at HAHN Automation Group, where I drove digital strategies and AI services. I also worked with RSBG SE in Industrial Tech & Cybersecurity investments in startups. This background gave me hands-on experience in manufacturing, robotics, AI and digital transformation, which I now apply to ecosystem building for BadenCampus.

How does BadenCampus approach robotics and AI in its activities?

We have two main platforms:

smartXautomation: where we bring together industry partners, startups, and research to rethink automation. The focus is on cyber-resilient industrial systems, AI in manufacturing, advanced robotics, data monetization, and even quantum computing pilots.

smartXhealth: where we apply AI and robotics to healthcare. Here we foster collaboration between hospitals, startups, and researchers to build and test solutions for AI-driven diagnostics, therapy support, service robotics and digital health innovations.

Both platforms work as ecosystems - it's about connecting actors who wouldn't normally collaborate, so new technologies can move from idea to real-world use.

badencampus — ABB Roadshow at BadenCampus

What are some of the new use cases you see emerging in robotics and AI?

On the industrial side:

Autonomous, learning robots that can adapt to multiple tasks in changing environments.
Cyber-OT frameworks that secure production systems against digital risks.
Much more focus on cognitive robots / physical AI with new types of sensors that almost see as humans
Digital twin-driven training and testing, where robots are first trained in virtual environments and then seamlessly transferred to the store floor.

On the robots in healthcare side:

Service robots that assist with repetitive or strenuous tasks in hospitals and elderly care.
Robotic rehabilitation systems that support patient recovery and physiotherapy.
Autonomous delivery and logistics robots in hospitals to move medicines, linens, and equipment.
Surgical and diagnostic robotics that complement medical teams with precision and consistency.

From your perspective, where is the robotics and AI industry heading?

I see three big shifts:

1. from automation to autonomy - robots will increasingly make context-based decisions rather than following rigid scripts.
2. integration of perception + reasoning + action - Physical AI is about robots not just 'doing' but 'understanding' their environment.
3. ecosystem innovation - no single company will drive this alone. Progress comes from collaboration between startups, corporates, academia, and end users. That's exactly where BadenCampus comes in.

Finally, how do you see BadenCampus contributing to this future?

Our mission is to connect ideas to deployment. We act as a catalyst by creating the right environment for co-creation, pilot projects, and scaling. Whether it's factories, logistics centers, or hospitals, we want to make sure that robotics and AI solutions are not just invented here in Baden, but also applied.

About Uziel Zontag

"Robots will move humans to do other stuff. The bottom line is: It's almost impossible to stop this modernization, the question is how to join it," says our colleague Uziel Zontag. Uziel is senior consultant for the industry cluster at BadenCampus. He has start-up experience himself and was previously head of digitalization and innovation at the Hahn Automation Group.