In this paper, the characteristics of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and its research progress of new technologies on modifying WPU resin were introduced. The main problems in production and application of synthetic leather used WPU resin were discussed. However, since the hydrophilic group is brought into , WPU is weak in water resistance , solvent resistance, water vapor permeability, compatibility and rate of drying, hence , researchers are modifying WPU, such as the acrylate modification, organic silicon modification, organic fluorine modification, vegetable oil modification, epoxy resin modification, nanometer materials modification, and hyperbranched polymer modification etc. The use of radiation technology, including radiation polymerization, crosslinking and curing, in copolymer latex is reviewed in the paper. The likely future trends of the modification design of synthetic leather used WPU resin were described.