Researchers have demonstrated a way to move electrically conductive but nonmagnetic objects without touching them, using coordinated rotating magnetic fields to generate forces and torques through eddy currents. The technique achieved six-degree-of-freedom control in microgravity simulations and three-degree-of-freedom experimental control, suggesting future robots could potentially stabilize, reposition or service tumbling pieces of space hardware. Because much orbital debris contains conductive aluminum, the method could eventually help spacecraft approach dangerous objects more gently than mechanical grabbing systems, although the current experiments remain an early proof of concept rather than a flight-ready cleanup technology. Thousands of dead satellites, spent rocket components and fragments of spacecraft circle Earth at tremendous speeds. Trying to grab one of those objects with a robotic arm could turn a cleanup mission into another collision. A different strategy could allow a spacecraft to control the debris before making contact with it. Researchers at the University of Utah demonstrated that coordinated rotating magnetic fields can push, pull and rotate conductive objects even when those objects are not magnetic. The method exploits electrical currents generated …