I often see this framed as a question and the answer is always no.
In scientific terms as taught for about 300 years it isn’t a source of energy. Indeed, we’ve all been taught that gravity is not an energy source - but really? Actually we’ve been using gravity as if it was an energy source for hundreds or even thousands of years. From Egyptian water wheels to today’s hydroelectric generators we have used the flow of water to drive machinery. What was needed was another intermediary, other than water, to use between the force of gravity and what ever was needed to be activated. So a number of weights seems a logical alternative medium to tap gravity. But since ancient times there is no record of anyone ever having achieved this, but this hasn’t stopped people trying to solve this puzzle.
An Indian mathematician Bhaskara, Villard de Honnecourt, a French Master Mason and and architect, Leonardo da Vinci, Cornelius Drebbel - and of course Johann Bessler aka Orffyreus, all attempted the impossible feat of making a working Perpetual motion machine. All except the last one, Orffyreus (Bessler), failed!
Bessler succeeded - and after the first one proceeded to make larger and larger ones. He was desperate to sell his machine and gain the full acknowledgement as the inventor of the ingenious device he had invented, but he also asked for a large sum of money. Too much for anyone but a prince or even a King to pay. If Peter the Great, Czar of Russia, had not died on his way to view the wheel, I’m sure it would have become a familiar part of our lives.
JC
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