This paper presents a new approach to the position and velocity control of a manipulator by using the adaptive (self-tuning) controllers. The complicated model of a manipulator system is modeled by a set of time varying difference equations. The parameters of the system are determined by an on-line recursive algorithm based on the least squares error criterion. An adaptive controller is designed on the basis of the difference equation model, and a chosen performance criterion. The controllers are calculated on-line using the model with the estimated values of system parameters. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the approach to the control of a manipulator.