FICS Researchers finds simple visual patterns can trick AI-powered vehicles and robots

A simple pattern of black-and-white stripes could cause an autonomous vehicle or robot to misjudge how far away an obstacle is, potentially triggering an unexpected maneuver or even a collision, according to FICS Research.

“These things can also happen naturally, so it’s not a matter of imagining a sophisticated attacker. It becomes a safety problem,” said Dr. Sara Rampazzi, lead of the research effort.“

Repeated visual patterns, like stripes on a fence or other regularly spaced objects, can cause the systems to incorrectly calculate depth.

Dr. Rampazzi’s team, two universities in Japan, tested multiple sensors, algorithms and AI models and found the same fundamental vulnerability across them, suggesting the problem is not limited to a particular manufacturer or application.