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                                                                       EXHIBIT 5


        [Letterhead of Cooperman Levitt Winikoff Lester & Newman, P.C.]


                                            September 8, 1999


Robotic Vision Systems, Inc.
5 Shawmut Road
Canton, Massachusetts 02021

        Re:    Registration Statement on Form S-1
               Under the Securities Act of 1933

Ladies and Gentlemen:

        In our capacity as counsel to Robotic Vision Systems, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), we have been asked to render this opinion in
connection with a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-    ), to be
filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Registration Statement"), covering (i)
1,063,593 shares of Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company
("Common Stock") that are presently issued and outstanding (the "Shares"), (ii)
up to 3,240,907 shares of Common Stock (the "Warrant Shares") issuable upon
future exercises of certain common stock purchase warrants heretofore issued by
the Company and which will expire in July 2004 (the "Warrants"), and (iii) up to
750,000 shares of Common Stock (the "Incentive Warrant Shares") issuable upon
future exercises of certain incentive common stock purchase warrants heretofore
issued by the Company and which will expire in April 2004 (the "Incentive
Warrants"), all of which have been included in the Registration Statement for
the account of the several persons identified as the Selling Stock holders.

        In that connection, we have examined the Certificate of Incorporation
and the By-Laws of the Company, both as amended to date, the Warrants, the
Incentive Warrants, the Registration Statement, corporate proceedings of the
Company relating to the issuance of each of, respectively, the Warrants, the
Incentive Warrants, the Shares, the Warrant Shares and the Incentive Warrant
Shares and such other instruments and documents as we have deemed relevant under
the circumstances.

        In making the aforesaid examinations, we have assumed the genuineness of
all signatures and the conformity to original documents of all copies furnished
to us as original or photostatic copies. We have also assumed that the corporate
records furnished to us by the Company include all corporate proceedings taken
by the Company to date.

        Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:

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        (1)     The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing
                as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of
                Delaware.

        (2)     The Shares have been duly and validly authorized and issued and
                are fully paid and non-assessable.

        (3)     The Warrant Shares have been duly and validly authorized and,
                when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the
                Warrants and as described in the Registration Statement, will be
                duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

        (4)     The Incentive Warrant Shares have been duly and validly
                authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the
                terms of the Incentive Warrants and as described in the
                Registration Statement, will be duly and validly issued, fully
                paid and non-assessable.

        We hereby consent to the use of our opinion as herein set forth as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name under the
caption "Legal Matters" in the prospectus forming a part of the Registration
Statement.

                                            Very truly yours,

                                            COOPERMAN LEVITT WINIKOFF
                                               LESTER & NEWMAN, P.C.


                                            By: /s/ Ira Roxland
                                                   A Member of the Firm