HurriQuake

The nail was designed primarily to provide more structural integrity for a building, especially against the forces of hurricanes and earthquakes.

The Hurriquake nail won the Popular Science Best of What's New 2006 award for Home Technology and Best Innovation of the Year.

[1] The nail's design began when its inventor, civil engineer Ed Sutt, traveled to the Caribbean in the wake of Hurricane Marilyn.

Sutt's trip to the Caribbean was part of a team examining the wreckage of the 80% of the island's homes and business that had been destroyed in the hurricane's winds of 95 mph (153 km/h).

The final touch to the original prototype was a special high-carbon alloy designed by a metallurgist that had the perfect combination of stiffness and pliability, giving it the highest possible strength.

This caused the joint to be sloppy and wobbly, so the team went back to the drawing board where the final feature was added to the nail.

This addition thickened the top portion of the nail giving it a tighter joint, as well as enhancing its overall holding power.