Can a machine run on its own forever?

My friend says his uncle has invented a machine that once started can run forever without any assistance or additional energy. Are there such machines?

Many scientists have tried to build perpetual motion machines but without success. The force of friction ultimately brings every moving thing to a stop. So far the only machine that comes close to being a perpetual motion machine, is an artificial satellite circling the earth. It circles the planet for years but ultimately friction with dust particles slows it down and it falls into the upper atmosphere where t burns up.

 

Picture Credit : Google