Cadmium is a kind of heavy metal, which is harmful to environment and human health. Although conventional detection methods based on large instruments such as atomic absorption spectrometers and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers have high accuracy, they cannot meet the needs of rapid field detection and high throughput screening. The in situ rapid detection technology of cadmium can provide a new, efficient and real-time method in the fields of food security, agricultural Internet of things, biological breeding and environmental monitoring, especially in the screening of plant varieties with different cadmium absorption and accumulation characteristics. Starting with the principle and characteristics of detection technology, this paper summarized different technologies for rapid in situ detection of cadmium in animals and plants, such as electrochemical sensing technology, fluorescence sensing technology, optical sensor technology, etc., and its research progress, application prospects and development direction in the fields of food safety monitoring, risk assessment, and migration, transformation and accumulation in organisms. It is hoped to provide technical reference for related research and analysis.