Abstract: Measurement while drilling (MWD) technology plays an irreplaceable role in gas disaster prevention and control, water disaster prevention and control, hidden geological disaster exploration and so on. It is the key of coal mine underground drilling construction to change from "uncontrollable trajectory" to "precise orientation", which greatly increases the level of disaster prevention and control in Chinese coal mine. This paper introduces the principle and technical types of MWD technology, reviews the development of MWD technology in underground coal mines, and expounds the representative technical achievements and practical applications of wired MWD technology, mud pulse wireless MWD technology and electromagnetic wave wireless MWD technology in detail. Based on the construction needs of smart mines and transparent mines under the new situation, the development trend of MWD technology is prospected from the aspects of "near-bit MWD", "directional long drilling + geological exploration", "directional long drilling+gas exploration" and so on, centering on the intelligent drilling of coal mine disaster prevention and control.