CBD-dispensing robots have arrived in New York City with the debut of Greenbox Robotics' artificial intelligence-powered robots at CBD and wellness shop Come Back Daily. Founder Zack Johnson hopes his AI robots will not only boost business and speed up sales at retail shops and dispensaries, but also educate customers about hemp compound CBD.
"The customers will walk up to our fully integrated touch screen," Johnson explained. "When they click on the actual product, they'll get as much information as the manufacturer of that product provides, so they can make an educated decision as to which product makes the most sense for their needs, as well as learn what is CBD and how it can help their everyday lives."
The robot seems like it was made for Instagram ー and that's no mistake ー but beyond its mass appeal, Johnson hopes the robot will help dispensaries and retail shops attract and educate customers, while providing major marketing for brands and shopping data to help shops, brands, and Greenbox keep tabs on the latest trends.
"Data can help us make informed decisions on activations at festivals, what products to manufacture based off of this age, this sex, this region of the world, buying this product," he said.
The robots weren't always intended for CBD. Greenbox switched gears after noticing the rapid expansion of the CBD industry. Market research firm the Brightfield Group projects the industry will surge to $5.1 billion in 2019, up more than 700 percent since 2018. Plus the looser regulations surrounding CBD products, as compared with cannabis, mean Greenbox has a lot more flexibility in terms of where it puts its curious little robots.
"We originally set out to create a fully automated point of sale within dispensary walls," Johnson said. "Because of the rise of CBD ... our demand completely shifted toward CBD robots. Now everybody wants ー instead of inside of their dispensary ー their branded CBD robot in a shopping mall, in an airport terminal, in a grocery store."
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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