Animus
The animus is a machine that has been developed by Abstergo Industries, and it is used to decode genetic memory in order to produce a visual simulation. Genetic memory is the accumulated memory of one's ancestors that is encoded in your DNA. The animus simply decodes intuitive processes of life within animals, such as how birds know where to migrate to or how animals know how to reproduce. The memories generated by the Animus are those that cause people and animals to have unaccounted experience and intuition for.
When the animus' structure is first seen, it looks like a regular bed with blue lights in circular motifs. There is a machine under the bed that runs Desmond's experiences, and it appears to release a large amount of heat through the vents surrounding the machine. Despite the foolproof design of the machine, the user must first have a stable mental synchronization with the ancestor to allow the memory to be simulated.
Desmond Miles uses this machine to control his ancestor Altair throughout the game. Every time he uses the machine, he is able to see a simulation of Altair through a glass interface in front of himself. Through this, he controls his ancestor through his ancestor's memory.
The word Animus is Latin for courage, vivacity, bravery, will, spirit, soul, character, intellect, memory, and consciousness.
