  LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a useful sensing technique and an
important source of data for autonomous vehicles (AVs). In this publication we
present the results of a study undertaken to understand the impact of
automotive paint on LiDAR performance along with a methodology used to conduct
this study. Our approach consists of evaluating the average reflected intensity
output by different LiDAR sensor models when tested with different types of
automotive paints. The paints were chosen to represent common paints found on
vehicles in Singapore.
  The experiments were conducted with LiDAR sensors commonly used by autonomous
vehicle (AV) developers and OEMs. The paints used were also selected based on
those observed in real-world conditions. This stems from a desire to model
real-world performance of actual sensing systems when exposed to the physical
world. The goal is then to inform regulators of AVs in Singapore of the impact
of automotive paint on LiDAR performance, so that they can determine testing
standards and specifications which will better reflect real-world performance
and also better assess the adequacy of LiDAR systems installed for local AV
operations.
  The tests were conducted for a combination of 13 different paint panels and 3
LiDAR sensors. In general, it was observed that darker coloured paints have
lower reflection intensity whereas lighter coloured paints exhibited higher
intensity values.
