The fictional machine used to relive ancestral memories in Assassin's Creed is called the Animus.
In the series, the Animus uses a person's genetic memories to reconstruct experiences lived by ancestors. Modern-day characters enter or connect to the device while players experience historical stories through those reconstructed memories. This idea links the franchise's science-fiction present to its historical settings.
Desmond Miles is the first major modern protagonist to use the Animus, initially under Abstergo supervision. Later games introduce different Animus models and related systems, including the Helix platform used by Abstergo Entertainment.
Animus sessions are presented as reconstructions rather than ordinary time travel. The games also show synchronization, memory instability, and simulation errors as explanations for gameplay limits. Eagle Vision is instead a perceptual ability used by Assassin protagonists, not a machine.