The word Robot actually comes from the Hungarian word robota, which was a term used to describe the unpaid, unfree labour a serf was duty bound to give to his lord.

In the mid to late eighteenth century many Habsburg monarchs looked to limit the amount of work a Hungarian lord could demand from the serfs on his land. This was either done as a way to alleviate the inhumane treatment of the Habsburg subjects, or stimulate an economy separate from the agrarian one monopolised by the wealthy Magyar minority.

There is some debate on this issue. Though, the restriction placed upon the robot to the majority of scholars of this period, was an attempt to limit the fiscal power of the Hungarian lords, align the serfs with the monarchy in Vienna and free up an enormous exempt body of men for military recruitment.

If you wanted to pronounce robot similarly to the Hungarian pronunciation it should sound like 'robat'. This may be why you are hearing 'ro-bit'

If you have any interest in the Habsburgs start off with: Ingrao, C, W. The Habsburg Monarchy 1618-1815. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1994.