Assessing the Robustness of LiDAR, Radar and Depth Cameras Against Ill-Reflecting Surfaces in Autonomous Vehicles: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Range-measuring sensors play a critical role in autonomous driving systems. While Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has been dominant, its vulnerability to adverse weather conditions is well-documented. This paper focuses on secondary adverse conditions -the implications of ill-reflective surfaces on range measurement sensors. We assess the influence of this condition on the three primary ranging modalities used in autonomous mobile robotics: LiDAR, Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR), and Depth-Camera. Based on accurate experimental evaluation the paper's findings reveal that under ill-reflectivity, LiDAR ranging performance drops significantly to 33% of its nominal operating conditions, whereas RADAR and Depth-Cameras maintain up to 100% of their nominal distance ranging capabilities. Additionally, we demonstrate on a 1:10 scaled autonomous racecar how ill-reflectivity adversely impacts downstream robotics tasks, highlighting the necessity for robust range sensing in autonomous driving.