Abstract: As a family member of stator-permanent magnet（PM） brushless machines, flux-reversal PM（FRPM） machine features the advantage of convenient heat dissipations of PMs and armature windings since both of them are located in stator side rather than rotor side. Besides, it is quite suitable for high-speed operation due to its rather simple and reliable rotor structure, without PMs and windings. In this paper, the machine structure and working principle were firstly introduced. Then, the different modeling methods as well as their advantage and disadvantage were analyzed and evaluated. Further, various optimization techniques to improve electromagnetic performance of FRPM machines were discussed. Moreover, the concept of ‘flux reversal’ was extended to some other machine topologies, such as linear PM machine, transverse-flux PM machine, hybrid excitation machine, etc. Thereafter, potentials of feasible applications for FRPM machines in low-speed and high-speed conditions were analyzed. Finally, the future development trends were prospected.