In the era of The Internet of Things, how to develop a smart sensor system with sustainable power supply, easy deployment and flexible use has become an urgent problem to be solved. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) driven by Maxwell’s Displacement Current can convert mechanical motion into electrical signals, thus it can be used as a self-powered sensor. Sensors based on TENGs have the advantages of simple structure and high instantaneous power density, which provide an important means to build intelligent sensor systems. Meanwhile, machine learning, as a technique with low cost, short development cycle, and strong data processing capabilities and predictive capabilities, is effective in processing the large amount of electrical signals generated by TENG. This article combines the latest research progress of TENG-based sensor systems for signal processing and intelligent recognition by employing machine learning techniques, and outlines the technical features and research status of this research direction from the perspectives of traffic safety, environmental monitor, information security, human-computer interaction and health motion detection. Finally, this article also in-depth discusses the current challenges and future development trends in this field, and analyzes how to improve in the future to open up a broader application space. It is suggested that the integration of machine learning technology and TENG-based sensors will promote the rapid development of intelligent sensor networks in the future.