The Animus is the fictional machine that allows characters in Assassin’s Creed to relive genetic memories.
In the series, the Animus reads inherited memories stored in a person’s DNA and presents them as an interactive simulation. This device allows modern characters such as Desmond Miles to experience the lives of ancestors including Altaïr, Ezio, and others.
The Animus is also a storytelling device: it links modern-day science-fiction scenes with historical action adventures. Abstergo Industries, the modern corporation associated with the Templars, develops and uses Animus technology. Later games show portable versions and related systems.
The Animus is not the same as Eagle Vision, which is an Assassin and Templar perception ability, or the Apple of Eden, an ancient First Civilization artifact. Helix is a later entertainment platform based on similar memory technology.