The Animus is the memory-simulation device used by modern characters in the Assassin’s Creed series.
In the series, the Animus allows a user to experience genetic memories inherited from ancestors. These memories are presented as interactive simulations, letting the user observe historical events through an ancestor’s perspective while remaining in the modern world.
The device is central to the framing story of the original Assassin’s Creed, where Desmond Miles is forced to relive the memories of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. Later games introduce different Animus users, including researchers, agents, and anonymous players connected to Abstergo Industries. Abstergo publicly presents the technology as entertainment, while secretly using it for surveillance and historical research.
The Animus is often confused with the Helix, a later entertainment platform based on similar technology. Eagle Vision is instead a perception ability used by assassins, and an Apple of Eden is a Piece of Eden rather than a machine.