This paper summarizes the research hotspot of underactuated mechanical system in nonlinear control field, and emphasizes its wide application in practical engineering, including space vehicle, inverted pendulum and navigation system. The Chinese government has supported the construction crane industry through a series of policies and regulations, providing guidance for its safe production and technical specifications. In the context of social development, the application demand of bridge gantry cranes in narrow environments is increasing, and the future development trend will focus on the direction of intelligence, science and technology and humanization. In recent decades, the research results on the positioning and pendulum of bridge crane at home and abroad are divided into open loop and closed loop control methods, and the control methods are described in detail in this paper.