Abstract: The electrorheological (ER) fluid is a kind of intelligent materials with versatile abilities. Material properties of ER fluids are dependent on the applied electrical field and can be directly controlled by computer. ER fluids-based intelligent structures can respond to the control signal swiftly and steadily, and the control method is simple and direct. This paper presents an application-oriented review of ER fluid-based intelligent structures. The application researches covered in this review paper are in the fields of traversing mechanism, actuator, field-controlled hydraulic servo system, robotic technology, vibration control and manufacturing automation.