With the widespread use of robots in mechanical processing,handling and palletizing,welding and painting,health care and other operations,collision detection becomes a key part of the safety of the man-machine and machine-machine.Collision detection algorithms were classified according to different directions,the characteristics and applications of diverse algorithms in various fields were discussed.The status of collision detection in the field of special robots,multi-legged robots,industrial robots and service robots were described.By analyzing the detected object and working environment，combining the characteristics of different collision detection algorithms,the best collision detection algorithm was obtained when robots worked in different environments and fields.Finally,the shortcomings of the current collision detection algorithm in the field of robotics and the thinking and suggestions for future development were summarized.