As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 24, 2002.

                                                           Registration No. 333-


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                             ----------------------
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      under
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               COGNEX CORPORATION
               (Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter)

      Massachusetts                                      04-2713778
(State of Incorporation)                    (IRS Employer Identification Number)

                       One Vision Drive, Natick, MA 01760
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                                 (508) 650-3000
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

                               COGNEX CORPORATION
                         2001 GENERAL STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the Plan)

                        Anthony J. Medaglia, Jr., Esquire
                               Goodwin Procter LLP
                                 Exchange Place
                           Boston, Massachusetts 02109
                                 (617) 570-1000
            (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



                                                      Proposed               Proposed
                                                       Maximum                Maximum
       Title of                 Amount                Offering               Aggregate              Amount of
      Securities                 to be                 Price                Offering              Registration
   to be Registered          Registered(1)           Per Share                Price                  Fee(2)
   ----------------          -------------           -----------            ----------            -------------
                                                                                       
Common Stock,                  7,500,000               $17.285             $129,637,500            $11,926.65
par value
$.002 per share


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     (1) Also registered hereunder are such additional number of shares of
common stock, presently indeterminable, as may be necessary to satisfy the
antidilution provisions of the Plan to which this Registration Statement
relates.

     (2) The registration fee has been calculated on the basis of the average of
the high and low sale prices on the National Association of Securities Dealers
Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") on October 17, 2002.



                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

     The Company hereby incorporates by reference the documents listed in (a)
through (c) below. In addition, all documents subsequently filed by the Company
pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (prior to filing of a Post-Effective Amendment which indicates that all
securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then
remaining unsold) shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement and to be a part thereof from the date of filing of such
documents.

     (a) The Company's latest annual report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or the latest Prospectus filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, which contains either
directly or by incorporation by reference, audited financial statements for the
Company's latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed.

     (b) All of the reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 since the end of the fiscal year covered by the
annual report or the Prospectus referred to in (a) above.

     (c) The description of the Company's Common Stock which is contained in the
Registration Statement filed by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such
description.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

      Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

     The validity of the authorization and issuance of the Common Stock offered
hereby will be passed upon for the Company by Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston,
Massachusetts. Anthony J. Medaglia, Jr., who is an equity partner of Goodwin
Procter LLP, is Clerk of the Company.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

     Section 67 of Chapter 156B of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts provides as follows:

     "Section 67. Indemnification of directors, officers, employees and other
agents of a corporation, and persons who serve at its request as directors,
officers, employees or other agents of another organization, or who serve at its
request in any capacity with respect to any employee benefit plan, may be
provided by it to whatever extent shall be specified in or authorized by (i) the
articles of organization or (ii) a by-law adopted by the stockholders or (iii) a
vote adopted by the holders of a majority of the shares of stock entitled to
vote on the election of directors. Except as the articles of organization or
by-laws otherwise require, indemnification of any persons referred to in the
preceding sentence who are not directors of the corporation may be provided by
it to the extent authorized by the directors. Such indemnification may include
payment by the corporation of expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal
action or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action or
proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by the person indemnified to repay
such payment if he shall be adjudicated to be not entitled to indemnification
under this section which undertaking may be accepted without reference to the
financial ability of such person to make repayment. Any such indemnification may
be provided although the person to be indemnified is no longer an officer,
director, employee or agent of the corporation or of such other organization or
no longer serves with respect to any such employee benefit plan.

     No indemnification shall be provided for any person with respect to any
matter as to which he shall have been adjudicated in any proceeding not to have
acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best
interest of the corporation or to the extent that such matter relates to service
with respect to an employee benefit plan, in the best interests of the
participants or beneficiaries of such employee benefit plan.


                                      II-1




      The absence of any express provision for indemnification shall not limit
any right of indemnification existing independently of this section.

      A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on
behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or other agent
of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a
director, officer, employee or other agent of another organization or with
respect to any employee benefit plan, against any liability incurred by him in
any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the
corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liability."

      Article VII of the By-laws of the Company provides as follows:

                                   ARTICLE VII

                     INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OTHERS

      SECTION 7.1   DEFINITIONS

      For purposes of this Article VII:

      (a) "Director/officer" means any person who is serving or has served as a
Director, officer, employee or other agent of the Corporation appointed or
elected by the Board of Directors or the stockholders of the Corporation, or who
is serving or has served at the request of the Corporation as a Director,
officer, trustee, principal, partner, employee or other agent of any other
organization.

      (b) "Proceeding" means any action, suit or proceeding, civil or criminal,
brought or threatened in or before any court, tribunal, administrative or
legislative body or agency.

      (c) "Expense" means any fine or penalty, and any liability fixed by a
judgment, order, decree or award in a Proceeding, any amount reasonably paid in
settlement of a Proceeding and any professional fees and other disbursements
reasonably incurred in connection with a Proceeding.

      SECTION 7.2   RIGHT TO INDEMNIFICATION

      Except as limited by law or as provided in Sections 7.3 and 7.4 of this
Article VII, each Director/officer (and his heirs and personal representatives)
shall be indemnified by the Corporation against any Expense incurred by him in
connection with each Proceeding in which he is involved as a result of his
serving or having served as a Director/officer.

      SECTION 7.3   INDEMNIFICATION NOT AVAILABLE

      No indemnification shall be provided to a Director/officer with respect to
a Proceeding as to which it shall have been adjudicated that he did not act in
good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interests of
the Corporation.

      SECTION 7.4   COMPROMISE OR SETTLEMENT

      In the event that a Proceeding is compromised or settled so as to impose
any liability or obligation on a Director/officer or upon the Corporation, no
indemnification shall be provided as to said Director/officer with respect to
such Proceeding if such Director/officer shall have been adjudicated not to have
acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best
interests of the Corporation.

      SECTION 7.5   ADVANCES

      The Corporation shall pay sums on account of indemnification in advance of
a final disposition of a Proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by the
Director/officer to repay such sums if it is subsequently established that he is
not entitled to indemnification pursuant to Sections 7.3 and 7.4 hereof, which
undertaking may be accepted without reference to the financial ability of such
person to make repayment.


                                      II-2




      SECTION 7.6   NOT EXCLUSIVE

      Nothing in this Article VII shall limit any lawful rights to
indemnification existing independently of this Article VII.

      SECTION 7.7   INSURANCE

      The provisions of this Article VII shall not limit the power of the Board
of Directors to authorize the purchase and maintenance of insurance on behalf of
any Director/officer against any Expense, whether or not the Corporation would
have the power to indemnify him against such Expense under this Article VII.

      ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

      Not Applicable.

      ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

      Number      Description
      ------      -----------

         4.1      Cognex Corporation 2001 General Stock Option Plan.
         5.1      Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP, as to legality of shares being
                  registered and consent of Goodwin Procter LLP.
         23.1     Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
         23.2     Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
         24.1     Powers of Attorney (included on Page II-5).

    ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

    The undersigned Registrant hereby undertake the following:

    (a)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

             (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

               (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                    the Securities Act of 1933;

               (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                    after the effective date of the registration statement (or
                    the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                    individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                    change in the information set forth in the registration
                    statement; and

              (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
                    plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
                    registration statement or any material change to such
                    information in the registration statement.

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(l)(i) and (a)(l)(ii) do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to
section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

             (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

             (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.



                                      II-3





    (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

    (c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes, that, insofar as
indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be
permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant
pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.


                                      II-4



                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in Natick, Massachusetts on October 16, 2002.

                                          COGNEX CORPORATION



                                          By   /s/Robert J. Shillman
                                               ---------------------------------
                                               Robert J. Shillman, President and
                                               Chief Executive Officer

         KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Robert J. Shillman his true and lawful
attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution,
for him or in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any
and all amendments or post-effective amendments to this Registration Statement,
and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in
connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto
said attorney-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do and perform
each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the
premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in
person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and
agent, or his substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.




     Signature               Title                                                       Date

                                                                               
/s/Robert J. Shillman        President, Chief Executive Officer and                  October 16, 2002
Robert J. Shillman           Chairman of the Board of Directors
                             (principal executive officer)

/s/Richard Morin             Senior Vice President of Finance, Chief                 October 16, 2002
Richard Morin                Financial Officer and Treasurer (principal
                             financial and accounting officer)

/s/Patrick Alias             Director                                                October 16, 2002
Patrick Alias


/s/Jerald G. Fishman         Director                                                October 16, 2002
Jerald G. Fishman


/s/Willia A. Krisky          Director                                                October 16, 2002
William A. Krirsky


/s/Rubin Wasserman           Director                                                October 16, 2002
Rubin Wasserman


/s/Anthony Sun               Director                                                October 16, 2002
Anthony Sun


                                      II-5




                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit
Number

4.1       Cognex Corporation 2001 General Stock Option Plan.

5.1       Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP as to legality of shares being
          registered and consent of Goodwin Procter LLP.

23.1      Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

23.2      Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

24.1      Powers of Attorney (See page II-5).