Early detection of arterial stiffness plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Non-invasive detection methods can make early detection of arteriosclerosis important clinically. Pulse wave velocity is an indicator of non-invasive measurement of arterial stiffness and has been widely recognized by the medical community. The measurement of pulse wave velocity mainly includes the tonometry, oscillometry, ultrasound imaging, photoplethysmography, bioimpedance plethysmography, magnetic resonance imaging and the like. This paper reviews the research progress, advantages and disadvantages of these technologies and methods.