a b s t r a c tAn adaptive control scheme based on data-driven controller (DDC) is proposed in this article. Unlike several DDC techniques, the proposed controller is constructed by an adaptive fuzzy rule emulated network (FREN) which is able to include human knowledge based on controlled plant's inputeoutput signals within the format of IF-THEN rules. Regarding to this advantage, an on-line estimation of pseudo partial derivative (PPD) and resetting algorithms, which are commonly used by DDC, can be omitted here. Furthermore, a novel adaptive algorithm is introduced to minimize for both tracking error and control effort with stability analysis for the closed-loop system. The experimental system with brushed DC-motor current control is constructed to validate the performance of the proposed control scheme. Comparative results with conventional DDC and radial basis function (RBF) controllers demonstrate that the proposed controller can provide the less tracking error and minimize the control effort.