Nicolae Vasilescu-Karpen

In 1904 he was awarded a PhD in physics for his thesis Recherches sur l'effet magnétique des corps electrisés en mouvement (Research on the magnetic effect of electrified bodies in motion).

After a year as a professor at the University of Lille, he returned to Romania to teach at the School of Bridges, Roads and Mines, where he was appointed director in February 1920.

[5] The Karpen Pile is claimed to be a battery that has provided continuous energy for over 60 years, making it either a supremely effective method of storing energy or a hoax, furthermore some newspapers describe it as a perpetuum mobile, but most scientists disagree since such a device would violate the Second law of thermodynamics.

The prototype has been assembled in 1950 and consists of two series-connected electric piles moving a small galvanometric motor.

[6] However, the fact that the electrodes are made of gold and platinum (the least reactive metals) and the very low density of the generated power could be the reason why the pile is still working.