Yamaha, Honeywell, Fanuc and Tekfen all invested in the robotic arm developer, which has also forged a strategic partnership with Fanuc.

Soft Robotics, a US-based robotic technology spinout of Harvard University, raised $23m in series B funding from investors including corporates Yamaha Motor, Fanuc, Honeywell and Tefken yesterday.

Motorised vehicle manufacturer Yamaha, engineering technology producer Honeywell, industrial robotics supplier Fanuc and conglomerate Tefken joined Calibrate Ventures and Material Impact, which co-led the round, in addition to Scale Venture Partners.

Founded in 2012, Soft Robotics has developed padded robotic grippers that gently grasp objects in order to automate supply chain tasks involving…