# Diffusion Based Robust LiDAR Place Recognition

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12412 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.12412/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 15 of its 24 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 16 Apr 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.02502/) (2020)
- [Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12598/) (2022)
- [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)
- [Diffusion Models: A Comprehensive Survey of Methods and Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.00796/) (2022)
- [Diffusion Probabilistic Models for 3D Point Cloud Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.01458/) (2021)
- [PointNetVLAD: Deep Point Cloud Based Retrieval for Large-Scale Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.03492/) (2018)
- [MinkLoc3D: Point Cloud Based Large-Scale Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.04530/) (2020)
- [BEVPlace: Learning LiDAR-based Place Recognition using Bird's Eye View Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.14325/) (2023)
- [PointLoc: Deep Pose Regressor for LiDAR Point Cloud Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.02392/) (2020)
- [Hilti-Oxford Dataset: A Millimetre-Accurate Benchmark for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.09825/) (2022)
- [LiDAR-Based Place Recognition For Autonomous Driving: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.10561/) (2023)
- [Speak the Same Language: Global LiDAR Registration on BIM Using Pose Hough Transform](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.03969/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Mobile robots on construction sites require accurate pose estimation to perform autonomous surveying and inspection missions. Localization in construction sites is a particularly challenging problem due to the presence of repetitive features such as flat plastered walls and perceptual aliasing due to apartments with similar layouts inter and intra floors. In this paper, we focus on the global re-positioning of a robot with respect to an accurate scanned mesh of the building solely using LiDAR data. In our approach, a neural network is trained on synthetic LiDAR point clouds generated by simulating a LiDAR in an accurate real-life large-scale mesh. We train a diffusion model with a PointNet++ backbone, which allows us to model multiple position candidates from a single LiDAR point cloud. The resulting model can successfully predict the global position of LiDAR in confined and complex sites despite the adverse effects of perceptual aliasing. The learned distribution of potential global positions can provide multi-modal position distribution. We evaluate our approach across five real-world datasets and show the place recognition accuracy of 77% +/-2m on average while outperforming baselines at a factor of 2 in mean error.