RVSI Names Semiconductor Equipment Sales and Service Agent for Taiwan

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS - October 18, 2001 - Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. (RVSI) (NASDAQ:ROBV) today named Marketech International Corporation as the sales, service, and application engineering provider for RVSI's Semiconductor Equipment Group in Taiwan.

"Marketech brings a proven reputation for semiconductor industry service in the critical Taiwan market," said Michael Gray, Vice President of Sales at the Electronics Division of RVSI.  "They have the infrastructure and resources to provide world-class service to our large installed base of chip inspection and media transfer equipment.  At the same time, they have the breadth of sales coverage to ensure that, as the semiconductor industry resumes its growth, RVSI is positioned to capture orders."

Mr. Gray said as part of its agreement with Marketech, RVSI will transfer all current Taiwan-based RVSI Electronics employees to that organization. "This ensures that, from the first day, there will be trained service support staff that are fully knowledgeable about RVSI equipment and applications," he said.

"RVSI is the acknowledged leader in semiconductor back-end inspection, and the opportunity to represent the company in Taiwan is both a mark of prestige and a major addition to our sales and service capabilities," said Scott Lin, Executive Vice President of Marketech.  "Our goal is to provide a seamless transfer of RVSI's customer responsiveness and support." RVSI will continue to maintain a direct presence in Taiwan to supplement Marketech's efforts, including technical specialists and sales management.

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 Statements
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.

RVSI
5 Shawmut Road
Canton, MA  02021
Tel: 781-302-2439  Fax: 781-302-2440

For further information contact:
Neal H. Sanders (781) 302.2439
For release October 18, 2001 at 12:00 p.m.