Tech

Let's face it, in one way or another, technological advancements have altered nearly every facet of our lives — and smoking weed is certainly no exception. In fact, as ongoing legalization efforts have birthed a rigorous and dynamic market, tech-savvy companies are developing innovative products that provide people with new ways to get stoned or seek therapeutic relief. 

There are, of course, those who prefer the traditional consumption methods — hand-rolled joints, bongs, one-hitters, among many other tools of classic stoner culture. But some are venturing outside of the norm, seeking out more exciting, more potent, and more convenient approaches to using cannabis. 

Here are eight tech-minded weed products that have caught the cannabis community's collective eye.

OTTO

OTTO by Banana Brothers makes the perfect preroll a snap, finely grinding coarse herb and packing it into king-size cones.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Automatic joint rollers and grinders aren't exactly groundbreaking devices, but the OTTO automatic cone filling machine from Banana Brothers manages to merge both product types into a must-have device for king-size joint lovers. While filling a pre-rolled joint isn't exactly rocket science, the manual process of loading it with bud can lead to sticky fingers and a poorly packed joint. The Banana Brothers' OTTO aims to address these inconveniences by creating a machine that finely grinds up your herb and evenly deposits it into the cone.   

The company claims that its grinder utilizes smart technology to grind weed, depositing finely ground flower directly into a pre-rolled king-size cone. This automatic grinder is reportedly capable of detecting density, moisture level, texture, and flower consistency, which it uses to adjust the pressure, speed, and direction for an optimal grind. 

Price: $130

PAX 3

PAX 3 is a versatile vaporizer ideal for concentrate and flower consumers alike. The accompanying app gives precise temperature control and management of vapor and flavor output.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Among the most popular devices on the cannabis vaporizer market, the PAX 3 is a hybrid portable vape that is compatible with both flower and concentrate. Now on the third iteration of PAX, the latest device comes with a concentrate adapter that can be inserted into the dual-use chamber, and a half-pack oven lid to reduce the flower chamber in half.

The PAX 3 itself has plenty to boast about, but what really sets this tech-minded product apart from other modern vaporizers is the PAX Mobile App, which connects to the PAX 3 via Bluetooth and provides the user with full control over the device temperature, manage vapor and flavor output, lock the device, play games, and also automatically update the firmware. With precise temperature control, consumers are able to pinpoint and save their favorite vape temperature settings. Whether that be for optimal terpene flavors or maximum vapor clouds, it's totally up to the consumer. 

Price: $199.99 for device only/$249.99 for complete kit

Puffco Peak

The Puffco Peak is equal parts style and substance. The $379.99 electronic vaporizer mapes dabbing simple. Puffco Peaks have also inspired talented heady glass artists to create eye-catching custom piece.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

A trailblazer among electronic dab rigs, the Puffco Peak is a portable electronic vaporizer that is designed to make the concentrate consumption process less messy and time-consuming, eliminating the manual parts of the dabbing process, such as heating up your nail and waiting for it to cool. Dubbed as a “smart rig,” the Puffco Peak features a single button that is used to control the power and temperature settings, making the dabbing process as straightforward and approachable as possible.

Dabbers can either pre-load concentrate into the chamber before heating it up or perform a more traditional experience by dabbing the concentrate once it reaches the set temperature. Outside of being an incredibly convenient and sleek e-rig, Puffco also offers customers the ability to personalize their Peak with colored glass attachments, carb caps, or ball caps. 

Price: $379.99

Focus V Carta

The Focus V Carta is a lower-price competitor to Puffco's Peak. It has one-button control, changeable batteries, and heats quickly.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Vying for the same e-rig market as the Puffco Peak, the Focus V Carta is another advanced e-rig that is reshaping the way that concentrates are consumed. It's compact, portable, sleek, and allows consumers to enjoy temperature-controlled and water filtered concentrate vapors. The Carta comes with a travel pouch that is stocked with swappable titanium and quartz buckets, a dab tool, carb cap, and alcohol wipes for cleaning.

Like the Puffco Peak, the Focus V Carta utilizes a single button to operate the device and jump between different heat settings. However, there are also a couple of notable differences between the two e-rigs. The Focus V is slightly more compact than the Peak, it heats up quicker, and also allows users to swap out batteries when the device loses its charge, making it slightly more appealing to those who want to travel without having to worry about constantly recharging it.   

Price: $250

DaVinci IQ

The DaVinci IQ prompts information to users with an array of 51 lights, and offers an app to control the vaporization experience. With additional attachments, the DaVinci IQ can be transformed into a bubble or nectar collector.

Image credit: Courtesy of DaVinci

The DaVinci IQ is another herbal vaporizer that has become more popular among tech-minded cannabis consumers. The IQ doesn't look nor act like a typical vaporizer device, which is evident by its 51-light grid that both displays information on your vape session and has a sophisticated, tech-forward aesthetic appeal. Featuring a zirconia ceramic airpath, and what the manufacturer has dubbed as “Smart Path Technology,” DaVinci IQ users are able to quickly cycle between four temperature settings. 

Like the PAX 3, this device is compatible with a mobile app that provides full control over each vape session and also enables you to track your overall usage. Offering 1 1/2 hours of usage time, the users can keep a spare set of 18650 batteries to ensure that their session doesn't end when the batteries run out of juice. Last but not least, the DaVinci IQ can also be transformed into a bubble or nectar collector with additional attachments. 

Price: $275

Genius Pipe — TOP Secret Stealth

The Genius Pipe is a waterless device with micro-vortices to cool and filter smoke. Its cover also reduces weed odors and keeps flower from falling out of the bowl.

Image credit: Courtesy of Genius Pipe

Designed for the tech-minded person with a preference for stealthy and discreet consumption, the Genius Pipe is a sleek device made to consume flower. Within the Genius Pipe's minimalistic anodized aluminum body is a patented dimple design, which creates tons of micro-vortices to filter and cool the smoke without any water. 

There are other features that set the Genius Pipe apart from your average spoon or one-hitter. This piece comes equipped with a magnetic sliding cover that reduces odors and keeps your herb from falling out of the bowl. The compact, discreet nature of the Genius Pipe makes it the perfect travel companion. Lastly, you can choose from a slew of colors and personalized graphics that Genius has made available, including Rastafari Lion and Mona Lisa.  

Price: $75 - $120

Hydrology9 Vaporizer

Cloudious9's Hydrology9 has a lava lamp-like appearance for its “tunnel tube” liquid filtration system for vaporizing flower.

Image credit: Courtesy of Cloudious9

The Hydrology9 by Cloudious9 is another unique vaporizer that looks and functions similar to the Puffco Peak and Carta V, but is instead geared toward vaporizing flower instead of concentrates. Packed within this cylindrical borosilicate glass-made device is a liquid filtration system, which uses Cloudious9's patent-pending “tunnel tube” design to filter vapors without obstructing their flow. 

The flower chamber is made of food-grade porcelain and includes a microchip processor that focuses on temperature control and quickly makes adjustments if needed. The Hydrology9 also comes with a built-in hook-shaped device to stir around the flower and ensure that the heat

is evenly distributed throughout the chamber and every piece of flower is properly vaporized.

Price: $199

Nova Decarboxylator

The Nova Decarboxylator might be your new favorite kitchen companion.

Image credit: Courtesy of Ardent

Every chef has his or her favorite cooking tool, and for those who prefer to apply their culinary skills to cannabis-infused recipes, the Nova Decarboxylator might be your new favorite kitchen companion. With the push of a single button, this compact decarboxylator is able to activate your flower, kief, or concentrates without producing a heavy odor. 

The device holds up to one ounce of cannabis flower, depending on the density and consistency of the bud, and between 5 to 6 ounces (142-170 grams) of kief. The decarb process takes around an hour or fifteen minutes, and the Nova is equipped with two sensors that monitor the temperature to ensure that your cannabis is not burned or unactivated. Not only can the Nova Decarboxylator be used to concoct tasty edibles, decarbed herb can also be used to prepare topicals, to fill into capsules, or even to be eaten in flower form. 

Price: $210

For growing cannabis, indoor operations have become the norm. They’re discreet and owners can precisely control the climate – and their product. When strains have different THC contents and a quality product is the top priority, these indoor operations provide business owners the control they need to develop the exact product their customers want.

However, these facilities also come with extra costs. Space is limited, climate control equipment requires maintenance, and indoor lighting uses a lot of power. Different strategies and technologies can be employed to create a more efficient and sustainable grow operation. The upfront costs may be higher, but if you are willing to let technology take the wheel, the long-term benefits can outweigh the costs.

Vertical growing by Ideal Harvest

Vertical Growing

An easy way to make your grow operation more efficient is to expand up, rather than out. Vertical growing is a popular trend in the cannabis industry that allows for a more environmentally and financially sustainable operation.

“I believe the future of this industry will soon be transitioning to incorporate vertical growing to help maximize square footage while decreasing your carbon footprint,” said Mike Caine, master grower for Ideal Harvest and a past Cannabis Cup Winner. He should know too, as Ideal Harvest is one of the leading vertical grow consultants and providers in the industry.

The benefits, as highlighted by Ideal Harvest CEO Sheryl Mizicko, are many. From an energy standpoint, vertical growing allows you to use one light for two canopies, rather than just one. It also allows for less energy-intensive bulbs, replacing 1000W bulbs with 615-630W options. It also reduces water usage by using drip irrigation and water reclamation strategies.

Additionally, there is a convenience of access; vertical canopies can be serviced and maintained without having to reach into or over the canopy. This helps mitigate pests (mites, mold, bacteria) by reducing human-introduced elements. Prevention on the front end means less need for pesticides later on.

Apart from environmental benefits, vertical canopies can help the operation and business as a whole run more efficiently. With vertical, one person can service the same area in one-half day that it takes two people to do in an entire day. Additionally, fewer pesticides and organic indoor growing help create a better end product, meaning a more satisfied customer.

Automation

“Cannabis, as any other plant, needs a certain temperature, humidity level, and radiation level in order to grow in the most productive way.” This is according to Pieter Kwakernaak, General Manager of Hoogendoorn America, a leader in cannabis and horticulture automation.

Climate control is a major key to indoor cannabis growth. Like any plant, cannabis has specific needs that will determine the highest-quality harvest. “Where are they growing best in outside conditions?” Kwakernaak posed. “India or Jamaica, where it’s very high temperatures. That means in a growing environment, in a greenhouse or in an enclosed room, we mimic the same temperatures where the plant really thrives.”

The best way to achieve this balanced climate control is via automation; a system that monitors and adjusts based on the plant’s needs. In Hoogendoorn’s case, “We do a combination of temperature, humidity, and controlling the light levels,” Kwakernaak explained. “So, on the one hand, that means on a very bright, sunny summer day, we black out the greenhouse in order to mimic shorter days, so that the cannabis can start flowering. On the other hand, we’re also keeping in account that we control the humidity levels because you want to prevent mold in the flowers.”

It’s a delicate process, but one that will likely make or break your grow operation. “I would say the climate, the exact growing climate, is key to success or failure,” Kwakernaak claimed. “If you don’t have the right climate, with too high humidity levels, with too big temperature and humidity swings, then it’s a recipe for disaster, because then the plants are susceptible to diseases. They don’t grow well … It is all about balance … Your relative humidity has to be in balance with CO2, temperature, and radiation. Those four factors all play together in having the ideal climate for the plant.”

Energy

Growing cannabis is energy-intensive. According to MarketWatch, cannabis indoor grow operations account for one percent of electricity consumption in the U.S., approximately 40.3 million kWh per year. To power the lights and climate control systems, these facilities need a lot of power. “They use a lot of energy in a small footprint,” explained John Ryan, head of the financing division at Baker Energy Team. It was cannabis’ energy needs that made it perfect for Baker.

“We focus on the high energy users,” Ryan explained. “We have the ability to go in there and save them at least 10 percent on their current rate … It’s been in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 percent.” Baker works with their partners to develop alternate energy solutions, whether that be solar or wind power, cogeneration, or the development of micro-grids. “What we do is go in and customize the system to the customer’s needs,” Ryan continued. “We’re not out there with a truck full of solar panels … unless you need them. Ultimately, we’ll look at the project … As a rule of thumb, one megawatt of power needs five acres of land. Sometimes you just don’t have that amount of land to do a solar farm, so what we could do is, we’ll come in and do cogeneration and then utilize the rooftops for as much solar as we can.”

In a time when huge companies like Budweiser and a number of automobile makers are shifting their focus toward sustainability, namely cleaner energy, cannabis has the unique opportunity, as a young industry, to brand itself as sustainable. Utilizing alternative energy solutions won’t just benefit the bottom line, but could make cannabis companies champions of sustainability.

Cooling Systems

It’s already been established that a successful grow operations needs rigorous climate control equipment. But how can that equipment be more sustainable? Industrial chillers play a major role in temperature regulation for indoor operations. “The need for temperature control can cross your day in so many ways,” explained Philip Preston, president of PolyScience, manufacturer of liquid temperature control solutions. “It’s an extremely broad range of applications.”

However, these chillers can have an adverse effect on the environment, using valuable energy resources and releasing greenhouse gases in the process. For this reason, PolyScience developed their latest DuraChill line of chilling technology. The new series uses a natural and nontoxic refrigerant-grade propane which can regulate the temperature of your operation, without emitting ozone-depleting greenhouse gases.

The equipment chosen to run a grow operation will ultimately determine the sustainability of said facility – and the owner’s bottom line.