Attempts to satisfy the public’s hunger for more personable robots have sometimes disappointed. In 2021, when unveiled Tesla Inc.’s plans for a humanoid robot, there was no demonstration of any kind of technology. Instead, a human dressed in a white skintight robot suit and a black helmet danced across the stage, earning Musk a round of mockery. But people who work in the field say recent advances in AI models and computer vision software mean robots that physically resemble humans could soon be a reality. Humanoid robots that can carry out a wide range of tasks—in contrast to a robotic arm that deftly repeats a single function in a factory—could be particularly useful.