as i see it, the primary issue is the "quality" of the vapes. and their novelty. so what we have is a blue laser diode, it illuminates a small replaceable glass container which might contain any number of possible herbal products or even raw herb. of course the mechanism is foolproof, mechanical and electronic interlocks preclude the laser light from getting out of the unit. now, we want this thing to be adjustable to accommodate various contents to be vaporized, and of course it needs to have a certain cachet of its own (to justify it 's cost? lol.), so it uses three primary alternative/optional interfaces for its operation. the simplest mode uses two buttons and a red/green LED. the next level of sophistication uses an iPhone or Android (or tablet or even a PC...) to access the internal controller of the vape wirelessly (or might include USB) and thereby set the parameters of its operation. the interface can set up a simple "when the on button has been pressed use the go button to cause the controller to heat the container contents to a certain temperature at a certain rate and then maintain that temperature for time x" to use the vape in the two button one LED mode, but of course the vape can remain tethered to the smartphone during its operation. now most IR sensors (ie thermometers. lol) have a reaction/tracking time that makes that simple expedient problematic. instead this laser powered vape contains an infrared sensitive video camera which "watches" the contents of the glass container being heated, and it displays that "image" on the smartphone screen in "real time". the control settings are on the phone screen too, sliders and checkboxes, and gotta have some numerics in there along with a database of "suggested settings" for raw herb or wax, etc. and we are also doing logging if and as desired. that gets two interface options. the third is a vape with a self contained touch screen graphics display. thinking arduino or raspberry pi for a controller, all the cameras and touchscreen displays are OTS items at least for prototyping. sourcing the laser diodes and other components is traditional EE work. i think the unit would have to be safety certified for a commercial effort (laser device), but the certification would be rather more like a bluray DVD player/burner than like a medical device, mostly to assert that the light is dangerous and no gefingerpoken internally is safe.
in terms of a more "standard approach" these small low voltage (12V operating voltage) quartz halogen bulbs make great heating elements if they are run at voltages well below their rating. no hot/incandescent metal in contact with the heated product. and the element is easily replaceable. lol.
in terms of a more "standard approach" these small low voltage (12V operating voltage) quartz halogen bulbs make great heating elements if they are run at voltages well below their rating. no hot/incandescent metal in contact with the heated product. and the element is easily replaceable. lol.