A braking device comprising a body mounted for rotation about a first axis; means for rotating the body about the first axis; comprises a second axis, a third axis and a fourth axis, the braking device being configured as to enable the body to further rotate about the second axis and the third axis, the first axis being oriented with respect to the second axis at an alpha angle (α) which is greater than 0 degrees, the second axis being oriented with respect to the fourth axis at a beta angle (β) which is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees, the third axis being the precession axis about which the precession of the body occurs as a result of rotating the body about the first axis and applying torque to the body about the second axis.