Abstract: A new scheme of variable structure with adaptive tracking control for a robot is derived in thispaper. According to the existence condition of sliding mode,a recurrence algorithm for predicting the param-eter C of sliding mode in real-time is proposed,which makes the parameter C to be adjusted automaticallywith the change of the system state. The algorithm overcomes the blindness for selecting the parameter C invariable structure control of the robot.Furthermore,in order to eliminate the chattering availably.a newadaptive method with variable thickness of boundary layer on the basis of saturation function is proposed also. The scheme not only gets high tracking accuracy and fast response,but also the well robustness of thesystem. The simulation of a 3-DOF manipulator used for handling roasted tobacco indicates the effectivenessand feasibility of the control method presented.