2023/10/26 by Timothy Overbye, Srikanth Saripalli, Overbye, Timothy +1
Computer Science · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Optical Sensing Technologies #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Indoor and Outdoor Localization Technologies #Robotics (cs.RO) #Target Tracking and Data Fusion in Sensor Networks
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2310.17620
openalex publication_date 2023/10/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Off-road robotics have traditionally utilized lidar for local navigation due to its accuracy and high resolution. However, the limitations of lidar, such as reduced performance in harsh environmental conditions and limited range, have prompted the exploration of alternative sensing technologies. This paper investigates the potential of radar for off-road local navigation, as it offers the advantages of a longer range and the ability to penetrate dust and light vegetation. We adapt existing lidar-based methods for radar and evaluate the performance in comparison to lidar under various off-road conditions. We show that radar can provide a significant range advantage over lidar while maintaining accuracy for both ground plane estimation and obstacle detection. And finally, we demonstrate successful autonomous navigation at a speed of 2.5 m/s over a path length of 350 m using only radar for ground plane estimation and obstacle detection.