Supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) are a new type of wearable human auxiliary equipment, which is currently a hot research topic in the world. SRLs have broad applications in many fields, and will provide a reference and technical support for the realization of human-robot collaboration and integration, while playing an important role in improving social security and public services. In this paper, representative SRLs are summarized from the aspects of related literature analysis, research status, ontology structure design, control and driving, sensing and perception, and application fields. This paper also analyzes and summarizes the current technical challenges faced by SRLs, and reviews development progress and key technologies, thus giving a prospect of future technical development trends. © 2014 Chinese Association of Automation.