Hey Schrödinger!
I love these kinds of small automations. Are they important for the operation of your smart home? No. Are they just awesome to have? Hell yeah! 
A while back I’ve posted a tutorial with the same problem in mind. You’ll find the same methods and a bit more, maybe it’s still an interesting read for you: Washing Machine State Machine
Best! Thomas
Btw. Always underrated. Why not add an image to your article? Even just a picture of your Robby would be enough to give everyone an instant idea what the article is about.