This article is from the Scientific Skepticism FAQ, by Paul Johnson Paul@treetop.demon.co.uk with numerous contributions by others.
A number of machines have been proposed which are not "perpetual
motion" machines in the sense of violating the law of conservation of
energy. Mostly these are based on bogus science. One inventor claims
that atoms of copper wire are being converted to energy in accordance
with Einstein's "e=mc^2". However he fails to explain what causes
this transformation and how this energy is converted into electrical
energy rather than gamma rays or heat.
 
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