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Coffee makers to sleek speakers: UK startups pitch their products at CES

The prettiest coffee maker you'll ever see was on display at the UK pavilion at CES. We spoke to these British companies to see what they have and why they came to Las Vegas.

Kent German
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German
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Hackney-based Barisieur makes the gorgeous Tea & Coffee Brewing Alarm Clock. Looking like something from a mad scientist's lap, it brews a single cup of coffee (or tea) when the clock hits your appointed time.

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A refrigerated capsule for milk and a drawer for sugar (complete with a spoon) mean that you never have to get out of bed to enjoy your cuppa. It's not available for sale yet, but you can order on Indiegogo for £340 or $455 (roughly AU$585).

Founder Josh has never been to CES before. He called the show amazing and said that with 50 percent of his business in the US, he had no choice but to be in Las Vegas.

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Mous makes a line of cases for iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones. You can get them in a variety of finishes like leather, carbon fiber, shell, walnut and bamboo. Sales Manager Rob Smith said an "aero shock" material composed of tiny air pockets absorbs the shocks from falls.

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Doppel makes a wearable wristband designed to reduce stress. It sits on the inside of your wrist and emits a gentle vibration that resembles a heart beat. Control the speed of the vibration -- a slower rhythm is supposed to calm you -- through an app on your phone. It sells for $179 (roughly £130 or AU$230).

The company came to CES last year, but this is the first time Doppel has had a booth on the show floor. "We sell [in the US], said CTO Adreas Bilicki. "So it makes sense to come here."

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Binary Bots makes robots that teach kids how to code. It had a few examples on display like a tortoise (left) and a crab. 

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There's also a spider that can descend on a string. Managing Director Chris Burgess was at CES for the first time to find US distributors for his bots. He said the show was overwhelming, tiring and exciting. 

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Located not too far from CNET's London office is Quick-e Charge. The company's one-time-use charging banks are for when you need to boost your device, but can't find an outlet. 

Founder Stefan Michael says the banks currently sell at a handful of stores in London. Prices range from £1.99 (for a phone) to £2.49 (a tablet) to £3.49 (a MacBook).  You can choose from a selection of adaptors.  

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Each power bank is encased in a postage-paid envelope. Once you've charged your phone, drop the envelope (and charger) in a mailbox to return it to Quick-e. The company then recycles the envelope, recharges the bank and sells it again.

Another CES first-timer, Michael says he came to Las Vegas to get exposure and eventually sell in the US. He said he was exhausted, partially because he dragged the red postage box in the previous photo to CES all the way from London.

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Studio 19 makes a sweet-looking Bluetooth floor speaker. The Solo E600X-EQ has a lighted base and has four to six hours of music playback on a single charge. It sells for $499 or £385 (roughly AU$635). If you'd like an Alexa-enabled remote control, the price is $579 or £400 (roughly AU$735).

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CEO Hoj Parmar is a CES newbie. It's the best place to make a global launch, he says, and much better than IFA. "Any brand that wants to be noticed needs to come here,"he says. "It's a great place to be. You get honest opinions about what people think."

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Teslasuit showed a full-body haptic feedback, motion capture, thermo controlled suit for use in creating VR experiences. 

Andriej Michajlowski said he brought his company to CES for its first trip because everyone is here. "It's the best place to generate a lot of buzz."

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Dr. Janko Mrsic-Flogel, the CEO of London-based Planet Computers holds the Gemini, a 4G and LTE communicator with a keyboard. Though the Gemini isn't on sale yet (he's here to launch it), the Android device will be priced at $499 (roughly £370 or AU$630) for the Wi-Fi-only version and $599 (roughly £445 or AU$760) for both Wi-Fi and LTE support.

Mrsic-Flogel has been coming to CES since the 1990s; he can't remember the year of his first trip except that people were talking about the Apple Newton. That was introduced in 1998.

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Georgina Robertson of Speechmatics shows the company's real-time speech recognition technology. Use it to transfer audio into text either on a desktop or a mobile device.

This this is the second trip to CES for Sales Director Ricardo Herreros-Symons. "Everyone is here," he says. "All of our clients are here. It's a great meeting point."

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Rivr makes software for creating VR experiences. One of its current projects is working with first responders in the UK to create VR training experiences like fire investigation and dealing with hazardous materials. This is the company's first trip to CES.

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