IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - September 2023 - 28

Suitability of
Various Lidar and
Radar Sensors
for Application
in Robotics
A Measurable Capability Comparison
By Haeyeon Gim, Seungmin Baek , Jeongki Park , Hoyong Lee ,
Chiwon Sung , Kyung-Tae Kim , and Soohee Han
Lidar and radar sensors are widely used to obtain depth information
for various applications in the field of robotics, such as
navigation [1], collision avoidance [2], surveillance [3], and map
generation [4]. These two sensors are becoming increasingly
popular as perception systems for autonomous mobile robots.
However, as a result of their versatility and popularity, lidar and
radar sensors come in a variety of specifications, sizes, and
prices. Consequently, it has become essential to quantitatively
evaluate these two sensors from various situational perspectives.
This is required for a comprehensive selection of the most appropriate
sensors or combinations thereof for the target applications.
In this study, we undertook a quantitative comparison
of commonly used lidar and radar sensors based on several
criteria. Specifically, five lidar and two radar sensors were
employed to demonstrate their performance in real experiments.
Their degradation was also examined in foggy and
glassed-in environments, which is an important consideration
when selecting sensors for different applications. Four examples
of effective combinations of lidar and radar sensors are presented
to show their synergistic effects. For reference, informative,
comparative metrics are presented to provide an overview of
important considerations when selecting the appropriate lidar
and radar sensors for robotic applications.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2022.3188213
Date of current version: 27 July 2022
28
IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2023
SENSORS
LIDAR
Lidar is an active remote sensing method for determining distances
to objects by measuring the elapsed time for the reflected
laser beam to return to the receiver. Generally, lidar sensors
can be categorized as mechanical, quasi-solid state, and solid
state based on mechanical, electromechanical, and electronic
beam steering technologies, respectively.
In mechanical lidar, short laser pulses are emitted from single
laser and receiver modules that physically rotate with the help of
motorization and optomechanics to steer a light beam that scans
the surroundings. Mechanical lidar sensors employ powerful
collimated lasers that focus on the return signal reaching the
receiver through highly focused optics. Therefore, they can provide
a high degree of accuracy while scanning a wide area with a
large horizontal field of view (FoV) [5]. However, high cost, relatively
low vertical resolution, complex and heavy design, and low
durability of mechanical lidar sensors hinder their widespread
commercial deployment in robotic applications.
To avoid motorized mechanical scanning, quasi-solid-state
lidar technologies have been developed with microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) mirrors that reflect laser beams in
desired directions using electrical input signals. These MEMS
lidar sensors possess advantages in terms of size, cost, and measurement
sampling rate. However, they are still vulnerable to
shock and vibration, similar to mechanical lidar sensors. As a
1070-9932/22©2022IEEE

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4591-6912 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5409-5621 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5150-4263 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9817-664X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1200-5282 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9831-3499

IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - September 2023

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