A headlamp or headlamp is a light source placed with a support on the front of the head, very useful for outdoor activities at night or in dark conditions. They are often used in caving, orienteering, hiking, skiing, backpacking, adventure racing, camping, mountaineering or mountain biking.

It is a useful and comfortable tool that allows you to illuminate the area where you are going to work without using your hands, thanks to the elastic and adjustable straps that allow perfect adherence to the user's head.

These lamps can also be used by underground mining workers, search and rescue, or in any job that requires lighting, leaving their hands free to work such as: surgeons, mechanics, etc.

These types of lamps generally operate with three or four AA or AAA batteries.[1]​ although there are systems with heavy batteries (4xtype A, or larger) generally designed so that the light emitter is placed near the front of the head, with the battery compartment on the back of the head or on the belt, if they are very large. The lamp is attached to the head or helmet with an elastic strap. Sometimes the battery pack can be completely disconnected from a lamp, to be stored on a belt or pocket. The lighter lamps are attached to the user's head with an elastic band; heavier ones use an additional band on top of the head.

When white LEDs came onto the market, they were quickly adopted for use in headlamps due to their smaller size, lower power consumption, and improved durability compared to incandescent bulbs.[1] LEDs with wattages of 1 watt or more have displaced incandescent bulbs in many lamp models. To avoid damaging electronic parts, a heat sink is usually required for lamps that use LEDs. DC-DC converters are normally used to regulate the power of LEDs that dissipate more than 1W, sometimes controlled by microprocessors. This allows the LEDs to provide a brightness that is not affected by the gradual drop in battery voltage, and also allows for selectable output levels. After the introduction of LEDs for flashlights, combinations of LED and halogen lamps were sometimes used, allowing the user to select between types depending on the task.

On November 9, 1815, the was presented at the Royal Society of London, it was a safety lamp invented by the British chemist Sir Humphry Davy to prevent explosions caused by the ignition of firedamp gas in coal mines. a kerosene lantern that had the flame "Flame (chemical)") protected by a screen of fine wire mesh, which prevented the spread of the flame into the gas. Around 1900, carbide lamps were developed, and remained in use even when electric lamps appeared, due to the short battery life of the latter. The advent of high-efficiency LED lamps finally displaced incandescent or combustion lamps.