In that case, a smart plug won’t work with it, as all that does is cut and restore power to the device.
The other alternative that people use in this kind of situation is one of the automatic button pushers which you mount over the buttons on either the remote or the device itself. You need one for each button. The ones that are out there now both work through an IFTTT channel, So you get smartthings integration that way.
There are two currently on the market that are easy to find. The Switchbot doesn’t press with as much force and doesn’t have as many options for press patterns, but is less expensive and is a one time cost.
The Naran Push microbot Is a much better engineered device with many more features, but not only does it cost more upfront, you have to buy their bridge device in order to get the IFTTT integration and they recently introduced a monthly charge for use of their cloud. So while I use these in my own home (I’m quadriparetic), i’m not happy with the subscription cost and I mention them but I no longer directly recommend them unless someone is in a similar situation to me. Certainly I would look at the SwitchBot first these days.
https://www.amazon.com/SwitchBot-mechanical-controller-required-Assistant/dp/B07B7NXV4R
https://www.amazon.com/MicroBot-Push-2nd-Generation-Automation/dp/B071V7Y864/
See the following discussion: