Abstract: Understanding the complex nonlinear mechanical behavior of rock masses and predicting relavant geo-disasters have always been the major challenges in rock mechanics and mining science. In this paper, the characteristics and applications of bolt/cable with negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) and its applications are discussed. At first, the static and dynamic constitutive behavior of the NPR bolt/cable is reviewed. As a typical energy absorbing bolt, the NPR bolt/cable has advanced reinforcement performances, i.e., a durable deformability, a high bearing capacity, an ideal elastoplastic constitutive relationship, etc. Especially, the constant resistance of NPR bolt/cable is mainly determined by the NPR structure and is not influenced by the external loads or rock properties. Then, the interaction between NPR bolts and rock masses are presented. It shows that the NPR bolt/cable may change the constitutive behavior of rock mass where it gets through, resulting in the realization of the complex nonlinear mechanical behavior of rock mass by dimensionality reduction and decoupling analysis. At last, some application cases of NPR bolts/cables in the control and prediction of geological hazards (i.e., rock bursts and landslides) are demonstrated. By applying the NPR bolt/cable in field, it can not only effectively control the large deformation of the rock mass and the geological disasters, but also help to understand and predict the behavior of rock mass based on the small disturbance control theory. Thus, the study on the mechanical characteristics of the NPR bolt/cable provides a new way in understanding the complex nonlinear mechanical behavior of rock masses in depth.