# Enhancing Steering Estimation with Semantic-Aware GNNs

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.17153 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.17153/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 13 of its 22 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Mar 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Semi-Supervised Classification with Graph Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.02907/) (2016)
- [PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00593/) (2016)
- [PointNet++: Deep Hierarchical Feature Learning on Point Sets in a Metric Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02413/) (2017)
- [ScanNet: Richly-annotated 3D Reconstructions of Indoor Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1702.04405/) (2017)
- [Spatial Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks for Skeleton-Based Action Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.07455/) (2018)
- [End to End Learning for Self-Driving Cars](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1604.07316/) (2016)
- [VectorNet: Encoding HD Maps and Agent Dynamics from Vectorized Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.04259/) (2020)
- [End-to-end Learning of Driving Models from Large-scale Video Datasets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.01079/) (2016)
- [Monocular Depth Estimation: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.09402/) (2019)
- [Dynamo-Depth: Fixing Unsupervised Depth Estimation for Dynamical Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.18887/) (2023)
- [End-to-End Deep Learning for Steering Autonomous Vehicles Considering Temporal Dependencies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.03804/) (2017)
- [Optical Flow Matters: an Empirical Comparative Study on Fusing Monocular Extracted Modalities for Better Steering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.12716/) (2024)
- [Human Insights Driven Latent Space for Different Driving Perspectives: A Unified Encoder for Efficient Multi-Task Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.10095/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Steering estimation is a critical task in autonomous driving, traditionally relying on 2D image-based models. In this work, we explore the advantages of incorporating 3D spatial information through hybrid architectures that combine 3D neural network models with recurrent neural networks (RNNs) for temporal modeling, using LiDAR-based point clouds as input. We systematically evaluate four hybrid 3D models, all of which outperform the 2D-only baseline, with the Graph Neural Network (GNN) - RNN model yielding the best results. To reduce reliance on LiDAR, we leverage a pretrained unified model to estimate depth from monocular images, reconstructing pseudo-3D point clouds. We then adapt the GNN-RNN model, originally designed for LiDAR-based point clouds, to work with these pseudo-3D representations, achieving comparable or even superior performance compared to the LiDAR-based model. Additionally, the unified model provides semantic labels for each point, enabling a more structured scene representation. To further optimize graph construction, we introduce an efficient connectivity strategy where connections are predominantly formed between points of the same semantic class, with only 20% of inter-class connections retained. This targeted approach reduces graph complexity and computational cost while preserving critical spatial relationships. Finally, we validate our approach on the KITTI dataset, achieving a 71% improvement over 2D-only models. Our findings highlight the advantages of 3D spatial information and efficient graph construction for steering estimation, while maintaining the cost-effectiveness of monocular images and avoiding the expense of LiDAR-based systems.