Robotic Vision Systems Inc. Says March Quarter Bookings Were Approximately $18 Million

Sequential order increase exceeds 100% on improvement in outlook for both  semiconductor capital equipment and machine vision

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS  - April 1, 2002 - Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. (RVSI) (NASDAQ: ROBV) today said preliminary indications are that its orders for its second fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2002 were approximately $18 million, representing an increase of more than 100% versus the $8.3 million of bookings for the company in its quarter ended December 31, 2001.  The $8.3 million figure excludes bookings attributable to the material handling business sold in December 2001.

"While all parts of RVSI shared in the order increase, the most significant growth was in our Semiconductor Equipment Group, which saw orders triple to approximately $11 million from $3.5 million in the December quarter," said RVSI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pat V. Costa.  "We believe the improvement in orders is attributable to semiconductor companies and contract assembly houses reaching full capacity in semiconductor devices of the kind we inspect.  Based on conversations with our customers, we believe this is the beginning of a sustained program to selectively add capacity rather than a single-quarter aberration."

Mr. Costa said RVSI's Acuity CiMatrix Division, which provides machine vision products for industrial applications and the reading of two-dimensional bar codes, saw a bookings rate that was more than 50% above the prior quarter level.  "We saw a series of competitive wins for our Visionscape family of machine vision products," Mr. Costa said.  "More importantly, though, we saw a marked increase in orders of products for the reading of Data Matrix codes in direct part marking applications.  We believe this latter business represents an important growth area for RVSI and it is one we have nurtured for several years."

On a preliminary basis, RVSI sees revenues for its fiscal second quarter in a range of $13.5 million to $14.0 million.  Excluding $2.8 million of revenues from the Material Handling business sold in December 2001, RVSI had revenues of $12.2 million for its fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2001.

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RVSI expects to report results for its second fiscal quarter during the latter part of April.

About RVSI
Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. (RVSI) (NASDAQ:ROBV) has the most comprehensive line of machine vision systems available today. Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, with offices worldwide, RVSI is the world leader in vision-based semiconductor inspection and media transfer equipment. Using leading-edge technology, RVSI joins vision-enabled process equipment, high-performance optics, lighting, and advanced hardware and software to assure product quality, identify and track parts, control manufacturing processes, and ultimately enhance profits for companies worldwide. Serving the semiconductor, electronics, aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical and packaging industries, RVSI holds approximately 100 patents in a broad range of technologies. 

Forward Looking Statement
Except for the historical information herein, certain matters discussed in this release include forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary significantly based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to: the historical cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, risks in products and technology development, market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand, the impact of competitive products and pricing, changing economic conditions, both here and abroad, timely development and release of new products, strategic suppliers and customers, the effect of the company's accounting policies and other risk factors detailed in the Company's most recent registration statement, annual report on Form 10-K and 10K/A, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For further information contact:
Neal H. Sanders (781) 302-2439
RVSI
5 Shawmut Road
Canton, MA  02021
Tel: 781-302-2439  Fax: 781-302-2440