To introduce and analyze the development history and research status of operating robots for nuclear environment at home and abroad, the common system structure and classification based on main functions for operating robots for nuclear environment are summarized. Based on the application requirements of operating robots for nuclear environment, it is concluded that the key technologies in urgent need of breakthrough for nuclear robots are radiation reinforcement, communication method, photoelectric detection, intelligent control technology, etc. Finally, with the increasing scale of China's nuclear industry and the increasing demand for safety assurance, the application scenarios of operating robots for nuclear environment are condensed, and the future development trend of operating robots for nuclear environment is predicted.