This paper aims to summarize and analyze the research progress of self-sensing functional structure and put forward the prospect of its development. In this paper, the concept of self-sensing functional structure was defined, its design process was analyzed, its connotation was revealed, and the research progress of self-sensing functional structure design was classified from the perspectives of sensitive materials, manufacturing methods and excitation. It is proved that it can be prepared by cell performance design, primitive configuration manufacturing and sequence synthesis control and applied to practical scenarios to realize structure-function integration. As a result, the research progress in the design and manufacture of self-sensing functional structures was summarized, and the key technologies and outstanding achievements in different fields of self-sensing functional structures were summarized. Together with the concept and connotation of self-sensing functional structures, its application in machinery, materials, biology and other fields was prospected. Self-sensing functional structure can sense the changes of ontology and environment, and change function or performance in a specified way as designed. It has the characteristics of efficient structure configuration, diverse sensing objects and integrated sensing elements, and has a broad application prospect in related fields.