In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all across the world people who are locked in their homes are still organizing in novel ways that may have a lasting impact on culture and society well after this crisis fades.

In communities around the globe, people are pooling resources and providing assistance to neighbors in need—a throwback to the mutual aid societies that acted as a social safety net before the rise of the welfare state.

They're relying on shared documents like the Coronavirus Tech Handbook, which started out as a one-page shared Google Doc just weeks ago and has grown into one of the largest and most widely used online libraries of tools in the fight against the virus. The internationally crowdsourced compilation of tips, guidelines, and resources has thousands of users and active projects.

As the severe shortage of personal protective equipment became apparent, home sewing networks sprung into action to make improvised face masks. Schools, businesses, and hobbyists have turned their 3D printers into micro-factories for medical equipment. A team out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently released specs for a $100 mechanical ventilator, and technologists around the world are building on each other's open-source data and plans. Other DIYers are developing diagnostic tools that require no physical testing kits, such as by analyzing voice samples that people record on their phones.