Some experiments with flexible kites and a central torus, on photos and a video.
See also RotoKite
The ballute (torus) seems to simplify the construction and operation compared to a central parachute represented on photos et on a video. The torus adds a potential aerostatic lift when scaling up, and appears to offer a greater kite spacing than a sphere (which can be limited by the hoop stress issue for very large dimensions, because it depends on the diameter of the sphere), though this remains to be verified.